Youth Service Improvement Grants

Youth Service Improvement Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: William T Grant Foundation Inc
Amount: US $25,000
Last Updated: January 22, 2026

Summary

The Youth Service Improvement Grants (YSIG) program, funded by the William T Grant Foundation Inc, aims to enhance the quality of direct services for youth aged 5 to 25 in New York City. It encourages nonprofit organizations to identify and address service gaps while fostering critical reflection on their practices. In addition to financial support, the program offers technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities, creating a collaborative environment for organizations to strengthen their impact on youth.

Overview

Background The Youth Service Improvement Grants (YSIG) program supports activities to improve the quality of direct services for young people ages 5 to 25 in the five boroughs of New York City. The goal is to strengthen existing services by helping youth-serving nonprofit organizations address challenges or remedy problems at the point of service, where staff and youth interact. YSIG urges applicants not only to discuss their organizations’ promise and potential, but to identify gaps or challenges in the services they provide. We ask applicants to be critical and reflective, to consider why and how complications exist, and to articulate how they intend to improve the ability of their programming to provide positive impact on youth. Examples of problem areas for improvement include: inadequate curriculum, gaps in the service skills of frontline staff, or a limitation in current services that adversely affects participants’ experiences. Beyond these examples, we welcome other compelling needs for service improvement. In addition to grant support, the Foundation also provides grantees access to technical assistance, including one-on-one support as your organization works toward successfully implementing the improvement project. In addition, three cohort-wide “learning community” meetings allow for peer-based learning and coaching, as well as opportunities to discuss challenges, seek advice from peers and colleagues, and collaborate across projects in a supportive space.

Eligibility

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Application Details

Youth Service
Improvement
Grants
2025 Application Guidelines
Updated January 2025
Application Deadline:
April 2, 2025, 3 PM EST

Contents
Program Overview 01
Awards 02
Eligibility 03
Application Materials 06
Review Criteria 09
Appendix A:
Ask the Grants Administrator 11
Appendix B:
Recent Youth Service Improvement Grants 12
II

Program Overview
The Youth Service Improvement Grants (YSIG) program supports activities to
improve the quality of direct services for young people ages 5 to 25 in the five
boroughs of New York City. The goal is to strengthen existing services by helping
youth-serving nonprofit organizations address challenges or remedy problems at the
point of service, where staff and youth interact.
YSIG urges applicants not only to discuss their organizations’ promise and potential,
but to identify gaps or challenges in the services they provide. We ask applicants to be
critical and reflective, to consider why and how complications exist, and to articulate
how they intend to improve the ability of their programming to provide positive
impact on youth.
Examples of problem areas for improvement include: inadequate curriculum, gaps in
the service skills of frontline staff, or a limitation in current services that adversely
affects participants’ experiences. Beyond these examples, we welcome other
compelling needs for service improvement.
01

Awards
• Awards are $25,000 each and support projects lasting one year, starting on
September 1 of the award year.
• The Foundation aims to award six new Youth Service Improvement Grants
annually.
NOTE
In addition to grant support, the Foundation also provides grantees access to
technical assistance, including one-on-one support as your organization works
toward successfully implementing the improvement project. In addition, three
cohort-wide “learning community” meetings allow for peer-based learning and
coaching, as well as opportunities to discuss challenges, seek advice from peers and
colleagues, and collaborate across projects in a supportive space.
02

Eligibility
NOTE
The YSIG program awards grants only to youth-serving community-based nonprofit
organizations physically located in any of the five boroughs of New York City whose
staff have direct programmatic contact with youth at the point of service. Applicants
must meet all organizational criteria to be eligible. Organizations previously funded
under either of the Foundation’s Youth Service Grant programs cannot apply again
for at least 18 months after the end of their award.
Organizational criteria
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
• Serve youth ages 5 to 25 years.
○ At least 80 percent of youth participating in the direct service program
targeted for improvement must be in this age range.
○ The applicant’s staff must have direct contact with youth at the point of
service.
• Have their own 501(c)(3) tax-exemption.
○ If operating under fiscal sponsorship, confirmation of fiscal sponsorship
agreement is required.
○ If an applying organization is separately incorporated but tax-exempt through
a group ruling (religious institutions), the applicant should supply the 501(c)
(3) letter of the parent organization and documentation that is part of the
group.
• The applying organization (not the fiscal sponsor) must have an operating budget
between $250,000 and $5 million in the prior year (i.e., 2024), if the organization
serves youth only.
○ If the applying organization serves youth and other populations, its operating
budget must be less than $20 million and its youth services budget must be
between $250,000 and $5 million.
• Have audited financial statements or certified financial statements, ideally
2024 or 2023, from the applying organization or from the fiscal sponsor if the
organization is operating under fiscal sponsorship.
• Have a 990 for the applying organization (or explain your exemption). Or, if
operating under fiscal sponsorship, the fiscal sponsor much have a 990.
03

Additional considerations: Reducing inequality criteria
The YSIG program is aligned with the Foundation’s broader focus on reducing inequal-
ity in youth outcomes. Inequality in New York City is reflected in racial and economic
segregation across boroughs and neighborhoods, in inadequate services for Mexican-de-
scent youth and LGBTQ+ youth, and in a lack of racial, ethnic, gender identity, and
sexual-orientation diversity among executive directors and CEOs of youth-serving
organizations. We seek to help improve the quality of direct service programs provided
by youth-serving non-profit organizations that confront these challenges.
Meeting the criteria below is not a requirement for funding. However, applicants who
fulfill at least one reducing inequality criteria in addition to all organizational criteria
described above will receive priority consideration.
1. Currently provide youth services in one of the eleven community districts
identified as having the highest community risk to child well-being by the
Citizens’ Committee for Children:
BRONX:
CD 1 – Mott Haven
CD 2 – Hunts Point
CD 3 – Morrisania
CD 4 – Concourse/Highbridge
CD 5 – University Heights
CD 6 – East Tremont
CD 7 – Bedford Park
CD 9 – Union Port/Soundview
CD 12 – Williamsbridge
BROOKLYN:
CD 5 – East New York
CD16 – Brownsville
MANHATTAN:
CD 11 – East Harlem
Any organization that fits the organizational eligibility criteria and has an es-
tablished youth-serving program in one of the identified 11 community districts
may apply for special consideration. Serving some youth from the 11 community
districts in locations outside of the community districts does not meet the priority
consideration.
04

2. Have existing well-defined programming tailored specifically to Mexican-descent
youth or LGBTQ+ youth.
Many programs serve Mexican-descent and LGBTQ+ youth, but only those organi-
zations with programming specifically designed for these populations are eligible
for consideration under this criterion.
3. Have leaders (executive directors or CEOs) who are people of color and/or
members of the LGBTQ+ community.
What we do not support
The YSIG program does not support:
• General operations.
• Planning, needs assessment, and evaluation proposals.
• Program improvement activities not focused on changes at the point-of-service,
such as board development or financial system updates.
• Capital fund projects, scholarships, endowments, lobbying, real estate purchases,
or awards to individuals.
• Expansions or additions to programming, including changes that simply increase
the number of slots in a program or result in new programming.
• Public and private schools.
• Organizations that are based outside the five boroughs of New York City.
05

Application Materials
NOTE
The Foundation accepts applications only through our online application system,
which is accessible through our website. Applicants must use the Foundation’s
forms, which can be downloaded from the “resources” section of the YSIG webpage
(https://wtgrantfoundation.org/funding/youth-service-improvement-grants), or from
within the online application. The forms include guiding questions from the back-
ground information and narrative sections below. All documents should be uploaded
to the online application.
All applications must include the following materials:
1. Background information on the organization (one page maximum)
• Describe the organization’s overall mission and goals.
• Briefly describe the current services you provide for all populations served.
○ Describe the financial health of your organization, including major trends,
challenges, or unusual developments that have affected the funding, staffing, or
enrollment of your youth services over the past two years.
2. Narrative (six pages maximum)
Background on direct service program you want to improve (two pages maximum)
• Describe the current youth services you want to improve, including participation
in the programming:
○ State how staff engage with youth at the point of service and the intended
benefit of the program.
○ Comment on what percent of youth participating in the direct service program
targeted for improvement fall within the age range of 5-25 years.
○ What does a participant experience on a day-to-day basis in the program?
○ How often do youth attend and for how long do they stay with the services?
○ How many youth participate in an average session?
○ If there is a recruitment or selection process, please describe it.
06

• Which and how many staff are involved with the services (state names and titles)
to be improved? What is the training and experience of staff, including front-line
staff who have direct contact with youth?
• Describe the degree to which you have fulfilled your program goals and produced
the intended youth outcomes. Please give examples and, if available, data.
Rationale for improvement (two pages maximum)
• Clearly identify and explain the problem in the program’s direct services that you
are seeking to improve. Describe how this problem has adversely impacted your
program’s ability to serve youth and/or enhance youth outcomes.
• State how you identified the problem. What information derived from your
program (e.g., data, surveys, observations, or discussions with youth and staff)
brought this issue to your attention? How long has this issue existed? What are the
likely underlying causes?
• Given your understanding of the problem and your investigation of its causes,
explain why addressing the problem would address its impact on your program
and youth outcomes.
Improvement plan (two pages maximum)
• Describe the plan (include specific goals and activities) for addressing the
problem and the cause(s) of the problem that you have identified.
• Clearly detail how the proposed improvement will change your existing services
and participants’ experiences.
• Provide a detailed timeline for the improvement plan that demonstrates the
improvement activities can take place within a one-year grant period, beginning
on September 1 of the award year.
• Identify a staff member to manage the improvement plan and describe how this
person will track progress against the timeline. Also identify staff members or
consultants who will implement the changes.
• Describe how the organization will determine whether the improvement is
addressing the problem: What information will be collected to assess short-term
results?
• Describe how the organization will sustain the improvement financially and
programmatically, accounting for challenges such as ongoing training needs or
staff turnover. If the improvement activities will result in an increase in program
costs, state how the organization will ensure financial sustainability after the
grant period ends.
07

3. Improvement project budget
• The improvement budget numbers will be entered into text boxes online.
All applicants must also prepare and upload a budget justification using the
Improvement Project Budget Justification Form (available in the online
application).
• All items included on the budget must be directly related to the improvement.
• Identify any portion of the budget that will be funded by sources other than this
grant, including support from the organization (e.g., in-kind or support from
unrestricted funds) and support from third parties.
4. Total organization budget
5. Total youth services budget (required for multiservice organizations)
• If the applying organization serves only youth, simply state that. No additional
budget is required beyond File 4: Total Organization Budget.
• Multiservice organizations (i.e., those not exclusively focused on youth) must
upload a separate youth services budget in this section. The youth services budget
must include all services to children and youth provided by the organization, not
only the budget for services targeted for improvement.
6. List of institutional funders of the organization
• Upload a list of institutional funders (foundations, corporations, etc.) that
contributed more than $10,000 in the current fiscal year. (In the case of
multiservice organizations, a list of supporters of youth programs should be
submitted.) The Foundation wants to understand where you are in achieving your
fundraising goals.
7. List of board of directors
8. Most recent audited financial statement
• Upload the most recent audited financial statement or certified public
accountant’s reviewed financial statements (most recent year) for the applying
organization or fiscal sponsor if the organization is operating under fiscal
sponsorship. Drafts are not accepted.
9. IRS Form 990
• A copy of the 990 (ideally from 2023 or 2024) must be uploaded by the applying
organization for the applying organization or fiscal sponsor if the organization is
operating under a fiscal sponsorship.
10. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt letter from the IRS
• Upload the organization’s 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Letter. Please make sure that the
EIN or FIN number is listed on the 501(c)(3).
08

Review Criteria
NOTE
Applications for Youth Service Improvement Grants are reviewed by a dedicated
volunteer committee of Foundation staff once a year. Committee members have a
diverse range of expertise, including finance, communications, and nonprofit admin-
istration. Thus, applications should be written to address an educated lay audience.
If you use acronyms that may not be familiar to a lay audience, please be sure to
spell them out the first time. If you use terms that are not commonly known, please
provide relevant context and explanations.
Strong proposals will make the case that the quality of youth services would im-
prove if the issue were resolved, and will clearly describe a feasible, sustainable, and
appropriate improvement.
Applications will be reviewed against the following criteria:
Clear description of the organization’s mission and current youth services
• The applicant provides a clear, compelling explanation of how the current
program with direct point-of-contact services create positive and meaningful
experiences for youth.
Compelling rationale for improvement
• The applicant clearly identifies a problem at the point of service and explains how
the problem has adversely impacted the experiences of participants.
• The applicant details how they identified the problem and clearly articulates its
likely causes.
• The applicant makes a strong case that the quality of services to youth would
significantly improve if the problem were addressed.
09

Strength of the improvement plan
• The improvement plan effectively addresses the problem: it is targeted specifically
at the causes of the problem, it is likely to be effective, and it is sustainable.
• The improvement activities can feasibly be implemented within the one-year
grant period, which begins on September 1 of the award year.
• The applicant identifies a capable staff member or manager to oversee the
improvement plan and track progress across the timeline. This is different from
staff working to implement the improvement.
• The applicant outlines a compelling plan to collect and use information to
determine whether the improvement project is successful.
• The applicant makes the case that the improvement can be sustained
operationally and financially.
• If additional funds will be required to continue the improvement after the grant
period, the applicant provides a feasible plan to achieve sustainability.
10

Appendix A: Ask the Grants Administrator
Must my organization fit the Foundation’s priority considerations focused on
reducing inequality?
No. Any organization that fits the organizational eligibility criteria may apply.
Organizations that meet the organizational criteria AND any of the three reducing
inequality criteria will receive priority for funding.
Our organization is not located in any of the eleven community districts
identified as having the highest community risk to child well-being, but we
provide youth services in one of the districts. Are we eligible to apply for
priority consideration?
Yes. Organizational offices do not need to be based in one of these eleven community
districts, but the service targeted for improvement must currently operate in one of
the districts.
Organizations can identify the community districts in which they serve youth on the
New York City Department of City Planning’s Community District Profiles webpage
(https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/).
11

Appendix B: Recent Youth Service Improvement Grants
Organization Background Need Improvement Plan
Fiver Children’s Fiver Children’s Foundation Graduates of the program Through their improvement
Foundation offers an innovative can be hired on a part- plan, Fiver will hire a case-
program that provides time basis as Program management consultant
support services for youth Associates to provide one- to document best
and their families over on-one support for youth practices and standardized
the course of ten years. and their families. However, procedures in a case
Participants have access Program Associates management handbook and
to educational workshops, have reported feeling lead training to increase
summer camp, individual inadequately equipped staff competency.
support, and other to effectively assist
activities. participants across their
varied needs.
Fresh Youth Initiatives FYI provides academic, Staff have reported needing With the grant, FYI will
(FYI) wellness, college more training to assist hire an LGBTQ Equity and
preparatory, and career students who may seek Community Specialist to
support services to the support for gender- and develop a curriculum and
Washington Heights sexuality-related topics deliver training to frontline
community. FYI’s middle staff to address their needs.
school after-school
program provides academic
and social-emotional
development for 160
students.
Futures and Options Futures and Options In a post-pandemic world, Futures and Options will
“empowers New York working remotely has update its curricula to
City’s youth, particularly become a new reality in include lessons on remote
youth of color and the workplace. Futures and hybrid work settings for
students from historically and Options seek to better two core programs: Career
underrepresented equip students to succeed Essentials, a workshop
communities, to acquire in remote and hybrid with hands-on activities
transferable professional occupations. and group discussions that
skills, pursue higher span workplace-related
education, and successfully topics including etiquette
compete in a global 21st and time management; and
century economy.” the Internship Program,
which matches students to
internships at partnering
employers.
12

Organization Background Need Improvement Plan
South Bronx United (SBU) SBU uses “soccer as a Due to limited resources With this grant, SBU will
tool for social change.” In and participants, SBU develop a new curriculum
addition to soccer practice, presently teaches mixed- specifically designed for
SBU offers academic, grade cohorts in the after- grades 6 through 9 to
college-preparatory, and school programs. With an address grade-specific
career support services influx of new middle school needs, including state
to over 200 immigrant, participants, SBU hopes testing and the high school
first-generation, and at-risk to provide designated admissions application
youth in the South Bronx. programming for these process.
students.
Mercy Center Mercy Center is a multi- In the aftermath of the To address the needs of
service organization pandemic, Mercy Center participating youth, the
offering support and has noticed pronounced organization will hire a
opportunities to the South challenges in youth consultant to develop an
Bronx community. They participants’ academic and after-school curriculum
offer extensive youth social skills. that centers social-
development programming emotional learning.
for academic support and
enrichment, including after-
school programs, summer
camp, and reading and
dance groups.
13

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