Creative Youth Development Grant Program

Allen Family Philanthropies has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Creative Youth Development (CYD) funding opportunity in Washington State, aimed at advancing equitable access to high‑quality creative youth programs. The RFP focuses on supporting existing programs (not brand new ones) that serve youth aged 13 to 26 during out‑of‑school‑time, using arts and culture as tools for artistic growth, wellbeing, and civic engagement. Special priority is given to programs that have limited access and are located outside of King County, especially in counties that rank below 50% on the SMU DataArts Cultural Vibrancy Index. Applicants eligible for this RFP include nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, those with fiscal sponsorship under a qualified 501(c)(3), or state or federally recognized Tribal entities. The programs must have been operating for at least three years by the proposed project start date. Proposals are for three‑year projects. The grant does *not* fund school‑day arts curriculum delivered in classrooms, academic or technical institutions, individual private instruction, one‑time or drop‑in services, or programs lacking an arts or cultural tradition curriculum. The total pool of funding for this RFP is $5,000,000, and the foundation expects to fund 10 to 12 organizations. Grant requests may be up to $500,000 over the three‑year period per organization. Applicants should ensure their programs are led by professional teaching artists, include culturally relevant and responsive practice, offer a safe and supportive learning environment, incorporate youth‑driven design, and provide substantial arts instruction plus community and civic engagement components. The timeline begins with a Letter of Interest (LOI) process: LOIs open on September 16, 2025. LOIs are due by November 19, 2025 at 12:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. After LOI review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals; the full proposal stage opens with RFP release around December 19, 2025. Final proposals are due February 4, 2026. A webinar for potential applicants is scheduled for September 24, 2025 from noon to 1 PM PST to provide guidance and answer questions. Review criteria include: youth development (civic engagement, social‑emotional learning, youth voice), creative arts learning (intentional curriculum, teaching artists, progressive skill building), organizational capacity and feasibility, community engagement, access and reach into underrepresented youth and geographies, and strong measurement of outcomes. Indirect costs may be included up to 10% of proposed budget. The project budget must reflect programmatic goals; capital costs, academic institution classroom curricula, private one‑to‑one instruction, and programs less than three years in operation are excluded. For additional information, prospective applicants may contact Allen Family Philanthropies via the Arts & Culture / Youth program line, or via the contact address [email protected]. The foundation encourages early questions and participation in the webinar.

Programs should focus heavily on youth outcomes, arts instruction led by teaching artists, strong organizational capacity, alignment with priority geographies and underserved populations, and clear measurement & evaluation plan. Webinar and LOI are low-barrier-entry stages to clarify expectations.