On this page you will find links to organizations and websites that offer assistance in finding funding for your Youth Voice project.  It includes helpful “how-to” sites, current funding opportunities, and more.

http://www.youthactionnet.org/yan_awards
Win a US$500 award from YouthActionNet to help fund your social change project!

www.youthventure.org
Youth Venture helps to empower young people ages 12-20 by providing them all the tools necessary to create civic-minded organizations, clubs or businesses. A Venture can be any youth-created, youth-led organization designed to provide a positive lasting benefit in a school, neighborhood, or large community. We strive to reach and support any young person nationwide who has a dream about how to make a difference, and the dedication to make it happen. We provide access to a variety of resources including: a national network of like-minded young people, media opportunities and up to $1,000 in seed capital needed to launch their organizations.

www.youthactivism.com
In addition to many other resources offered by this website, the Youth Activism Project has compiled a list of possible sources of funding for youth looking to start their own community service and activism projects. To see the list, click on “Youth Strategies,” then “Finding Funding.”

www.dosomething.org/grants
Young people like you have incredible ideas, but sometimes you don't have the dough to say "Go" for a community project. Right? Not anymore. Do Something puts the fun back in funding by giving you the big bucks to get things going in your neighborhood. With a little moolah, some attention from the media and great resources from us, 25-and-unders across the US and Canada can make things happen in a huge way! In 2006, Do Something partnered with GameStop to give out grants ($500 a pop) to 30 incredible young people across the US and Canada. Their projects were amazing, to say the least. Don't believe us? See for yourself below. Then take that inspiration, start your own project and apply for a grant.

www.fcyo.org
Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing
The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) is a collective of national, regional and local grantmakers and youth organizing practitioners dedicated to advancing youth organizing as a strategy for youth development and social justice.

http://www.youthactionnet.org/toolkit/fundraise.cfm
YouthActionNet is a program that invests in the power and promise of young people to create positive change. Through its dynamic website, awards, customized training programs, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, YouthActionNet offers young change makers ideas, resources, and connections to like minds around the world. This website contains a list of resources to help you identify potential donors, write an effective proposal, and plan a fundraising event.

General Funder-Finding Websites

Affinity groups are networks of funders that have a common interest.  If you contact the administrator of the affinity group they may be able to put you in touch with issue-specific fundraising resources. See the Council on Foundation's website (http://www.cof.org) to find a large list of affinity groups affiliated with the Council on Foundations.

Community Foundations exist across the country which provide resources to specific geographic areas.  The Community Foundation locator has an interactive map to help you locate a community foundation in your geographic area (http://www.communityfoundationlocator.org).

The Foundation Center has a lot of resources including foundation and grants directories, available online and in libraries across the country (http://foundationcenter.org).

Guidestar is a national database of nonprofit organizations and provides information about the operations and finances of foundations (http://www.guidestar.org).