Youth Organizing

see Funding Priorities below ›

Background
HSF adopted a focus on youth organizing in 1999 after we partnered with the Tides Foundation in San Francisco to help manage our grantmaking. At that time, San Francisco and the rest of the California witnessed a surge of organizing by low-income youth of color in response to a state ballot initiative (Prop 21) that they argued would increase the criminalization of youth of color in the State. While Prop 21 eventually passed, the organizing work of low-income youth of color in the Bay Area helped spur a national wave of youth leadership for social and community change and the development of the youth organizing field. HSF defines Youth Organizing as community-based efforts that promote the leadership of youth (particularly low-income youth of color) in identifying systemic problems impacting youth and their communities, and implementing strategic actions that change policies or institutions. In addition to leadership development, political education and organizing training, youth organizing often strives to meet some of the other developmental needs of its youth members and leaders. (Click here to search grants.) Youth organizing was a natural focus for HSF because it combined the Board's interest in positive individual youth development and systemic social and institutional change.

HSF makes youth organizing grants in California, New York, Washington, DC and across the South. Since, 2004, HSF has made over 140 grants totaling over $3,900,000. Grants range from $15,000 to $40,000 and average $30,000. Most grants have provided general support.

Funding Priorities
In 2006, HSF completed a process to clarify and refine our programmatic direction for the youth Organizing Program. Under the tag line of "Building a Movement for the Ages", our Youth Organizing program will prioritize multi-generational organizing in order to maximize the strengths and talents of youth and adults in effecting social change and to establish a pipeline of skilled leaders that will build a vibrant, sustainable social justice movement for generations to come. Priority will be given to grassroots organizations that do the following:

1. Engage in multi-generational organizing by employing effective and innovative models for young people and adults sharing power and decision-making within organizations and organizing campaigns (i.e., intergenerational) and/or youth-led organizing projects or organizations sharing leadership and power with adult-led social justice organizations in coalitions and networks (i.e., cross-generational);
2. Increase the scale, scope and impact of youth organizing efforts through expanding the reach of your work and establishing collaborations among YO groups and other partners;
3. Promote the "holistic development" of youth leaders by supporting and promoting effective and innovative models that enhance the positive development of youth as social change leaders while helping to meet their academic, personal, physical, and/or emotional needs.

In addition to these specific criteria, we look for organizations that:

• Work effectively in coalition with other YO or social justice organizations;
• Have a well developed systemic, community or institutional level organizing campaign and strategy;
• Have a well-developed process and plan for actively engaging and building a strong base of youth leaders; and
• Employ a racial justice analysis in their work.