How to Fund Your Local Youth Project
Congratulations! You have an amazing youth project idea. Now what?
Maybe it’s a mural that celebrates your neighborhood’s culture. A clothing drive for unhoused youth. A mental health workshop series. Whatever your vision, you can’t do it alone. You need support—and that often means you need help with funding to bring your idea to life. Don’t worry, though, youth funding opportunities are often easier than you think to find and obtain.
Youth Funding Opportunities
There are several ways to find non-profit funding for youths, including:
Grants for student projects: A grant is money that a foundation or organization gives you to help make your idea happen. The best news is that it’s not a loan and you don’t have to pay it back! Grants for student projects are used to support individuals whose mission aligns with the organization’s goals.
The Contribution Project: Twice a year, we accept applications from youth ages 14-25 living in the U.S. who are seeking to make an impact on their community, school, or neighborhood through contribution. We offer $400 to accepted Contributors to help you pursue your ideas. Our Fall 2025 applications open September 8th!
School or student councils: Check to see if funds are available for student-led initiatives.
Local nonprofits: Research organizations in your city or town that share your interests for your project. They might be able support your project financially or with guidance from mentors.
Crowdfunding: Platforms like GoFundMe let you raise money from friends, family, and supporters online to bring an idea to life.
How to Write a Strong Funding Proposal (Even If It’s Your First Youth Project)
You don’t need to be a grant writing expert to find financial support for your idea. Most applications will want to know the following information about your student-led project. Be sure you have thought about and jotted down your answers to each of these questions so that you can easily copy paste into applications.
What’s your idea? (Be clear and specific. What’s the problem? What’s your solution?)
Why does it matter? (Share your personal connection or what inspired the project.)
Who will benefit? (Your classmates? Your community? Be as specific as possible.)
What’s your plan and your budget? (Who’s involved, what are the steps and timeline, and how do you plan to use the funds?)
Four Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for Youth Project Funding
Even with a great idea, it’s easy to miss important details when applying for youth project funding—especially if it’s your first time. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for (and how to avoid them):
Mistake 1: Applying for funding without explaining how you’ll use it.
The fix: Outline how you plan to use the money, even if you aren’t 100% sure yet.
Mistake 2: Not having a clear plan for who does what and when.
The fix: Create a simple list of the people involved, including their roles, responsibilities, and the timeline for their involvement in bringing your project to life.
Mistake 3: Forgetting to show impact—who are you helping, and how will you know it worked?
The fix: Write down what you think success looks like for your project. This will help you stay aligned with your goal.
Mistake 4: Missing deadlines and steps—even great project ideas get passed over if the application comes in late, isn’t complete, or doesn’t follow the instructions.
The fix: Stay organized with a project tracker, add reminders to your calendar, or use an app to help you meet target dates.
Real Youth, Real Impact
You don’t have to wait until you're older to lead change. Check out how these youth changemakers turned their ideas into impact—with a little help from The Contribution Project:
Amber: Amber’s project focused on hosting a mental health event hosted by Building Ourselves through Sisterhood and Service (B.O.S.S), a student-run organization dedicated to aiding women and gender non-conforming students of color in their transition to college through peer mentorship and service.
Simon: Simon used his funds to build and install several birdhouses for Eastern Bluebirds to share the beauty of nature with his surrounding community and encourage sustainability.
Emmanuel: As a college student at Cornell, Emmanuel was involved in hosting a multi-day event that brought justice-impacted youth to the university to explore what Cornell has to offer. The event provided an opportunity for the youth to better understand the opportunities from higher education and career planning.
Sabrina: Sabrina was interested in reducing the microplastics that are released into the environment from dryer sheets. Her project promoted sustainable laundry habits on her college campus by distributing dryer balls—a more climate-friendly alternative to dryer sheets.
Their projects differ—but they all started with the same thing: an idea and the courage to act. Read more real impact stories made by youth changemakers.
Ready to Launch Your Project?
You’ve got the vision—we’ve got the support. If you are ready to find funding for your next youth project, we are accepting applications through September 30th. Apply now!
