This is the 2025 Youth Philanthropy Board. (Courtesy photo)
GRAND ISLAND – The Greater Grand Island Community Foundation is pleased to announce that the Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) has opened its 2025 grant cycle.
The youth-led program supports projects and programs that directly benefit youth in Hall County. Applications are due Dec. 30, 2025, by midnight at www.gicf.org.
Each year, the YPB juniors evaluate local nonprofit applications and select projects that encourage positive choices and strengthen the well-being of youth.
Grant priorities include preventing drug and alcohol abuse, promoting peer mentoring, supporting mental and physical health, creating safe and engaging activities, meeting basic needs, and ensuring inclusivity for youth with disabilities or unmet needs.
“The Youth Philanthropy Board has helped me understand how crucial it is for communities to come together for the greater good,” said Lauren Anderson, YPB Senior. “Good communities like Grand Island cannot run without generous philanthropists.”
The Youth Philanthropy Board is a partnership between the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation and Leadership Unlimited. The program brings together Hall County high school juniors and seniors for a two-year experience in leadership, community engagement, and philanthropy.
“My favorite part of facilitating YPB is when the students become really invested in the process,” said Sara Tall, YPB Coordinator and Program Officer at GGICF. “I can pinpoint it to their junior year when they’ve completed site visits and have to reach consensus on who to fund. We even bring in a professional mediator—it’s too much for me to handle alone!”
Senior board members raise the funds that juniors award through direct asks, letter campaigns, grant writing, and special events. “Youth Philanthropy Board has tremendously broadened my knowledge of nonprofits and all they do in our community,” added Connor Haney, YPB Senior.
Since its inception, YPB has awarded more than $200,000 to local organizations serving youth in Hall County. The Foundation is proud to support this next generation of philanthropic leaders who are learning not only how to give, but why giving matters.
For more information or to apply, visit www.gicf.org/nonprofits/grants or contact Sara Tall, YPB Coordinator and Program Officer, at stall@gicf.org.
