The Community Foundation of Teton Valley’s Youth Philanthropy Program, in partnership with two Dual Enrollment Government classes at Teton High School, announced this year’s Youth Philanthropy grant winners at an Awards Assembly at Teton High School. Now in its 11th season, today’s awards mark the granting of $51,000 in total and working with nearly 400 students via this multifaceted program.
Youth Philanthropy provides an excellent opportunity to introduce the concept of philanthropy to the next generation while helping students better understand the significant and impactful roles that nonprofits play in their own community. According to one Senior, “This program opened opportunities for us, as students, to give to those in need in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to.” The program not only “opened [students’] eyes to problems within our community they did not know about,” but also “gave [them] a chance to show that [they’re] mature enough to have tough conversations and make difficult decisions.” Students effused a sense of pride in having been tasked with “real money to impact our local community.”
The Youth Philanthropy Program is made possible through the generosity of Tin Cup Challengers and other private donors who partner with the Community Foundation of Teton Valley to elevate lives through the power of generosity. Challenger Richard Grundler charitably augmented students’ traditional granting capacity with an additional gift, giving them a total of $7,000 in awards to distribute during the Youth Philanthropy grant cycle. Participating students were rewarded for their efforts with a pizza party sponsored by RAD Curbside following the school assembly.
This year’s seniors worked through 14 grant applications with a total funding ask of $12,413. After thorough discussion over three class periods, they awarded 4 projects full funding and 6 projects partial grant awards with the funds they had at their disposal.
