2025–2026 YPB Cohort Kicks Off
Our Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) is hard at work this fall, soliciting and reviewing local grant applications that support youth across Hall County. Each year, the YPB juniors evaluate requests from nonprofits and select projects that encourage positive choices and strengthen the well-being of local youth.
The YPB Grant Program funds projects that focus on areas such as preventing drug and alcohol abuse, promoting peer mentoring, supporting mental and physical health, creating safe and engaging activities, meeting basic needs, and ensuring all youth feel included. Applications for this year’s funding are due December 30, 2025, at midnight through the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation.
Now celebrating its 8th cohort, the Youth Philanthropy Board is a partnership between the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation and Leadership Unlimited. The program brings together Hall County high school juniors and seniors for a two-year experience in leadership, community engagement, and philanthropy.
“The Youth Philanthropy Board has helped me understand how crucial it is for communities to come together for the greater good,” said Lauren Anderson, YPB Senior. “Good communities like Grand Island cannot run without generous philanthropists.”
The juniors manage the grant process, from reviewing applications to conducting site visits, while the seniors focus on raising the funds that make those grants possible. “My favorite part of facilitating YPB is when the students become really invested in the process,” said Sara Tall, YPB Coordinator. “I can pinpoint it to their junior year when they’ve completed site visits and have to reach consensus on who to fund. We even bring in a professional mediator—it’s too much for me to handle alone!”
“Youth Philanthropy Board has tremendously broadened my knowledge of nonprofits and all they do in our community,” added Connor Haney, YPB Senior.
Since its start, YPB has awarded more than $200,000 to local organizations supporting youth in our community. The Foundation is proud to help these young leaders experience philanthropy firsthand and see how their efforts directly improve the lives of others.