Ten grants awarded to mobilize young leaders across Washington
Allen Family Philanthropies (AFP), formerly known as the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, is helping to mobilize young leaders across Washington state through $5 million in funding to support youth engagement through leadership training and civic engagement. The funding is being allocated to 10 Washington-based organizations following a Request for Proposal that was launched in October 2024.
“This suite of grants is particularly timely given new polls showing Gen Z’s lack of trust in economic and social structures to safeguard their futures,” said Olivia Thai, Program Officer for Youth Development with AFP. “These grantees are grounded in strong youth development understanding and practices that will encourage youth and adult partners to create change and build back their participation in civil society.”
The 10 organizations were selected through a process that included 461 letters of interest and 38 proposals that were reviewed by an eight-member review panel representing diverse backgrounds and experiences connected to youth development.
“There is an obvious need for and interest in supporting our youth,” said Thai. “The organizations that we’re funding are new as direct grantees and 80 percent of the organizations that submitted an LOI were also new to us.”
Seven of the 10 organizations work across 14 counties in the state, and three organizations work statewide. The grants ranging from $360,000 to $500,000 will go to:
Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane
East African Community Services
FEEST
Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement
Nuestras Raices Centro Comunitario (Our Roots Community Center)
Powerful Voices
Stonewall Youth
TeamChild
The Washington Bus Education Fund
Washington Youth Alliance
The foundation will also convene the cohort throughout the duration of the three-year grants to encourage shared learning, networking, and skill building.
“We are looking to increase youth awareness and access to opportunities that develop the skills for youth to act on issues they care about,” said Thai.
