Northside Youth Enrichment Fund Now Accepting Grant Applications
Northside Funders Group (NFG) is pleased to announce that the Northside Youth Enrichment Fund (NYEF) is now accepting applications with an available pool of $140,000. The application will be open from November 20, 2023 through February, 9 2024.
BACKGROUND
The inaugural NYEF was launched publicly in December 2022- its goal is to support Northside projects aimed at expanding learning by connecting Northside youth to exceptional enrichment opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. With an initial pool of $75,000, the idea was to use the first round as an opportunity to learn and subsequently apply those lessons to a more formalized funding strategy moving into 2024. The Fund was open for two months and received 56 applications totaling well over $530,000 in requests. This overwhelming response highlights the desire and need for resources focused on youth enrichment. Moreover, it proves that nonprofits and schools are not the only spaces where youth enrichment activities take place.
Below is a table showing the breakdown by type of applicant:
Centering youth voice in decision making was also a top priority raised in the initial listening sessions which helped design the NYEF. As a result, all 56 proposals were reviewed in two rounds by a grant review committee comprised of 2 NFG funders and 4 Northside Youth. This committee ultimately awarded close to $90,000 to 9 Northside projects:
FEMALE FITNESS AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM Offer after-school and summer programs for Northside High School female students, focusing specifically but not exclusively on current and former Henry High School students. This holistic health and wellness program is designed to empower high school girls to gain the knowledge, tools and practices that will support them on their life-long journey of living their most fulfilling lives.
CULTURE AS DIVERSION (REBOUND INC) Take 7 youth from the Northside of Minneapolis and the Westside of St. Paul, with past or present justice or child welfare system involvement, on a journey of self discovery to Ghana, West Africa. Connection to culture will prevent these youth from entering, or re-entering the juvenile justice system.
WELLNESS INNERGY: SOUND MEDICINE DRUM CIRCLE The program is primarily focused on community wellness and individual awareness. The plan is to bring youth ages 10 - 24 yrs together for an experiential, expressive, musical, healthy, cultural education experience via sharing indigenous knowledge & wisdom of traditional African/Black hand drumming, mindful thought and breathing techniques.
MBC YOUTH AND TEENS OUTREACH The MBC Youth & Teens program will support with self-care, self-love, self-love, healthy boundaries, empowerment, entrepreneurship and mentoring by way of a confidence coach/Top Model Coach.
EXPLORING CAREERS IN JOURNALISM IN NYC Take 15 students from our North High Journalism program to NYC to explore careers in broadcast journalism and photojournalism. Exposing students to careers in journalism and journalists of color so the careers seem more attainable.
LUCY LANEY BOXING ACADEMY A project that combines purchasing equipment and registrations for the USA Boxing recognized gym that was founded in 2019 that is used to help keep our babies occupied safe with constructive bonding with peers, mentors, and educators during the hours from 2:30-6:30 after school. Afterschool programming is an essential resource for school-aged youth, encouraging safety, fostering connections, preventing juvenile crime, and improving academic performance.
INDOOR RIVER ROCK TRAVERSE CLIMBING WALL Sojourner Truth Academy would like to provide a Indoor River Rock Traverse Climbing Wall for Northside Scholars in our Camden Neighborhood, North Minneapolis PK-8 grade school gymnasium.
THE MAN UP CLUB MENTORSHIP The Man Up Club has designed a mentorship/ leadership program for BIPOC youth, called The Man Up Club Mentorship. We will teach the youth life skills, social skill, academic discipline and civic responsibility. This will address Youth Violence, peer-to-peer aggressions, and community violence. Violence prevention efforts by the Man Up Club mentoring program, include managing poor behavior, planning for and making good choices, and avoiding violent behavior including gun, gang, or group violence.
ENRICHING NORTHSIDE EDUCATION THROUGH DEBATE The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) is an independently funded program of Augsburg University. The mission of the MNUDL is to empower students through competitive academic debate to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active global citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities. The MNUDL requests funding to support its Northside debate teams at Olson Middle School, Franklin Middle School, Sojourner Truth Academy, Patrick Henry High School, and North High School.
NFG gathered lessons learned and applied them to the currently open NYEF. Please review the information below carefully before submission.
FUND DETAILS
PRIORITY CONSTITUENCY: North Minneapolis Students/Youth ages 10-20
PURPOSE: To support expanded learning opportunities by connecting Northside youth to exceptional enrichment opportunities inside and beyond the classroom.
ELIGIBILITY: Proposed projects may be directly connected to Northside schools (district, charter or private); or they can engage with youth outside of the formal schooling system (i.e., via 501c3 or for-profit organizations).
GRANT SIZE: Up-to-$15,000 - we anticipate making between 9 to 12 grants from this pool.
GRANT TYPE: Project-specific or general operating support
TOTAL AVAILABLE FUNDS: $140,000
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AND AWARD TIMELINE: A committee including Northside youth will review and make funding decisions. Grant reviews are planned for end of February. We anticipate communicating decisions to applicants by March 2024.
KEY DEFINITIONS
Northsider: Anyone who lives, works, goes to school in North Minneapolis. Projects based in and/or serving a majority Northside constituency and individuals who contribute positively to North Minneapolis.
Enrichment Opportunities: Projects, initiatives and programs supporting access to experiences otherwise out of reach for Northside youth. Examples include school trips, mentorship, specialized equipment (i.e. cameras, uniforms, instruments) and more.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
If you’d like to learn more about the funding opportunity and ask specific questions, please attend our scheduled information sessions:
*IN PERSON*
Date: Dec 5, 2023 from 2:30-4pm at The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota | 927 West Broadway, Mpls MN 55411.
*VIRTUAL* This session was recorded
Date: December 12, 2023 from 12:30-1:30pm on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86733548328 | Meeting ID: 867 3354 8328
If neither option work, please email: ecococonsulting@outlook.com to submit your questions or to schedule a phone call.
FAQS
Are fiscally sponsored programs or projects eligible for funding?
Yes. Please submit the fiscal sponsors’ organization budget along with your project budget as part of required attachments.
What is the NYEF grant term?
The grant term in up to 12 months, but can be self-defined if you expect your project will be completed in under 12 months.
What are the reporting requirements?
NFG will reach out to grantees after the grant period has concluded to schedule a one on one meeting. This conversation will serve as your report on how the project went, what you learned and what you would do differently.
How are youth reviewers selected to participate in the NYEF Grant Review Panel?
NFG believes in participatory grantmaking approaches. As such, a grant review panel made up of 2 NFG members and 5-6 Northside Youth will review and make decisions about grant awards. NFG selects youth reviewers via a referral process. We are seeking young people who bring different perspectives and are connected to a variety of schools, after-school programs and Northside spaces.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, click here