Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants in Illinois

Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) is a youth-led initiative operating under the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation. Comprising 15 high school students from McLean, DeWitt, Livingston, and Logan counties in Illinois, YEP empowers youth to directly influence local philanthropy by managing a small grant program. This initiative connects young leaders with the responsibility of creating and administering a grantmaking process targeted at youth-focused programming in their communities. The YEP grant program provides a total of $10,861 in funds to support projects that are either designed for youth or that significantly impact youth in the four-county area. Grants typically range between $500 and $2,000 per project. Projects must occur between February 1, 2026, and January 31, 2027, and all funds must be spent within that timeframe. A follow-up report must be submitted by February 28, 2027. All projects are required to use a standardized budget form developed by IPCF, available through the online portal, and follow strict budget and reporting rules, including notification if unused funds remain or if use of funds needs to change. Applications must be submitted via IPCF’s online portal between September 1 and September 30, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. Central Time. The online system automatically locks submissions at the deadline. Only applications from eligible organizations will be considered, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits, fiscally sponsored entities, public institutions, local government units, and religious organizations that do not proselytize. Priority will be given to programs where youth are actively involved in the application process. Duplicate submissions to similar IPCF fall cycle grant programs (e.g., Women to Women Giving Circle) are not permitted, although separate spring cycle applications for different programs are allowed. The application process involves answering a series of structured questions covering program purpose, target population, geography, budget, sustainability, and impact. Applicants must also address potential for partial funding and any collaboration with other organizations. Additional required materials include a completed standardized budget form and an IRS Letter of Determination. The grantor encourages applicants to draft responses offline before entering them into the system, and the portal provides autosave functionality. Contact for questions or mentorship is Michele Evans, Vice President (Programs) at IPCF, available at mevans@ilpcf.org or 309-662-4477. Award decisions are made by the YEP student team, and grant recipients are expected to acknowledge the funding through media, social media, and reporting. This grant program recurs annually, and based on the established timeline, the next cycle will open in September 2026.

Engage youth in application process to receive priority; submit only through portal; write in Word first and paste to avoid submission errors.