Youth Philanthropy Board Announces 2018 Grants to Youth Programs

2018 Youth Philanthropy Board

Greater Tacoma Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) awards grants annually to quality programs and organizations that provide youth opportunities to learn, engage, and lead. This year, the YPB provided grant funding to the following Pierce County organizations:

Cascade Bicycle Club

Centro Latino 

Hilltop Artists 

Oasis Youth Center 

Tacoma Boat Builders

Tacoma Urban League – Male Involvement Program

Team Child 

University of Puget Sound – Access Programs’ Summer Academic Challenge

VADIS – FLASH (Full Lives and Stable Housing) 

Write253 

YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties

The YPB believes self-esteem, empowerment, and healthy choices are vital elements for youth because these are critical in helping youth navigate complex transitions to adulthood, career, and life success. Programs receiving grants support these skills, create opportunities for youth to have leadership roles within programming, and value youth voice and youth feedback by developing a platform where program structure and activities are influenced by youth.

Additional elements this year’s YPB members identified as important were:

• Service of diverse populations
• Active in the community to find out what youth needs are
• Provide access to unique experiences
• Provide opportunities for youth to express themselves

“Being in YPB helped me learn how to work well with other people and to hear and learn from other people’s perspectives.  I’m used to being more of an independent worker, but with community needs its important to be able to work together with others.” – Ciera Baird, 2018 YPB Member

“For me it was learning about the difference between equity and equality.  We often use those words interchangeably, but they aren’t the same.  Equality would be like giving everyone a band-aid even when someone has a broken arm, while equity is about meeting everyone’s unique needs.” – Jade Cooper, 2018 YPB Member

Greater Tacoma Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Board is a nine-month program providing Pierce County youth between the ages of 15 and 24 the opportunity to learn more about local youth services and build skills to make grant recommendations to youth-serving organizations. The YPB connects young people with a passion for their community to the skills and tools necessary to cultivate positive change.