Youth Granting for Youth
Young people who care about their communities are increasingly getting involved in philanthropy.
Photo: MCC Meadowgreen Youth Program, by Dave Stobbe.
By forming Youth Advisory Councils (YACs) within local community foundations, young people come together to raise money, build endowment funds and make grants to local youth projects. YAC members are in their teens and twenties, with a lot of ideas and energy to bring to the table. There are already YACs in more than 55 communities across Canada, and the momentum is building.
In 2004, the Saskatoon Community Foundation launched its own Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Between 2004 and 2012, areas of focus for the YAC were enhancing the quality of life for Saskatoon children and youth by disbursing grants from the Batting 1000 Endowment for Children and Youth, a donor funded initiative to promote youth leadership in philanthropy. Beginning in 2013, the Batting 1000 Endowment for Children and Youth was renamed Youth Endowment Saskatoon, and grants made from the fund are now known as YES! Now, the YAC says YES! to projects for children and youth in Saskatoon.
Since 2019, Saskatoon Community Foundation has partnered with Students Commission of Canada (SCC) to administer the Youth Advisory Council. SCC, with support from the Grants Manager, manages the Youth Advisory Council program by recruiting and training a diverse group of young people who set focus areas, review applications and recommend grants to the Board of Directors each year. Partnering with SCC enables the Foundation to support youth leadership in the community.
To make a donation to support Youth Endowment Saskatoon, visit the Youth Endowment Saskatoon fund page.
2023 Grant Recipients
Congratulations to all of the organizations receiving 2023 Youth Endowment Saskatoon grants. They are:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Battlefords – Indigenous Arts Partnership (IAPP)
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon & Area – Developmental Relationships Supporting Youth Facing Adversities
- White Buffalo Youth Lodge – White Buffalo Youth Council Future Knowledge Keepers
- Care & Share Saskatoon Inc. – Off to High School – Dignity Fund
- CNIB Foundation Saskatchewan – Employment Boot Camp
- Columbus Bosco Homes – Retreat to the Farm
- Free Flow Dance Theatre Company – Free Youth Dance Workshop
- Inclusion Saskatchewan – Inclusion Saskatchewan Sibling Workshops
- MCC Canada – Meadowgreen Youth Program
- Muscular Dystrophy Canada – Saskatchewan Youth Programs and Services
- North East Outreach & Support Services – Entering High School Survival Kits
- Nutrien Wonderhub – Celebrating Community
- Oskayak High School – Restorative Justice Project: Peer to Peer Mediation
- Possibilities Recovery Centre – Martensville Youth Connection Center
- Prairie Harm Reduction – Cultural Connections
- Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Inc. – Camp Dragonfly
- Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre – SIMFC Youth Council 2023
- The Saskatoon Downtown Youth Centre Inc./EGADZ – EGADZ Summer 2023
- Tomorrow’s Voices Foundation – Tomorrow’s Voices Saskatoon
2023 Areas of Focus
The Youth Endowment Saskatoon grants program includes some funds that are for Saskatoon only, and some funds which can be granted throughout the province of Saskatchewan. Applicants from communities other than Saskatoon are invited to apply, as well as organizations from Saskatoon. The 2023 Youth Advisory Council invites applications for projects aligned with the focus areas below:
1. Transition Supports
- Implementing supports for educational and life transitions for youth. These supports include peer mentorship, life skills and independence education (financial literacy, hygiene, home economics, cooking, cleaning, etc.)
- Transitions include from Elementary school to High school, High school to University, unemployed to employed, etc.
- Helping young people to gain the skills necessary for independent living, with a focus on community, schools and families working together.
2. Celebrating Diversity of Youth Voices and Achievements
- Celebrating the diversity of youth initiatives and achievements in the community, to flip the narrative and focus on young people’s strengths.
- Integrating youth in decision-making roles through opportunities like youth advisory councils.
- Increased opportunities for youth to showcase and highlight their skills, including initiatives and spaces for art, performances, and community conversation cafes.
- Applications in this area should specifically address at least one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 10 Principles of Reconciliation or 94 Calls to Action.
3. Access to Youth Services
- Programs that eliminate barriers youth face in accessing services, including transportation, limited hours of service (ie – evenings and weekends), language, transportation, financial barriers, social and psychological barriers. Improving accessibility in existing programs.
- Programs and initiatives that promote positive mental health will be given preference by the Youth Advisory Council.
Youth involvement
Youth should be involved in the delivery, planning or implementation of projects, and projects should have a direct impact on lives of youth in Saskatoon or other communities in Saskatchewan.
“In 2022, the Youth Advisory Council wishes to support projects that focus on the theme of inclusively supporting youth during key transitional periods and celebrating their achievements.“
2022 Youth Advisory Council
All applications will be reviewed by the Youth Advisory Committee. The YAC will recommend grants for approval by the Saskatoon Community Foundation Board of Directors.
Important dates
Applications open December 1, 2023 and close February 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm.