Empowering Youth

Pride Foundation

LGBTQ+ youth-serving organizations play a crucial role in addressing the disparities young queer people face, especially in the current political climate where LGBTQ+ communities are under attack nationwide. Historically, LGBTQ+-serving organizations face significant funding challenges that limit their ability to serve young people. In 2020 for example, for every $100 awarded by U.S. foundations only 23 cents specifically supported LGBTQ+ communities and issues. There is brilliance in the LGBTQ+ community and brilliance in LBGTQ+ youth, and we want to make sure they’re fully resourced so they can find and express their vitality. 

The foundation partnered with Pride Foundation on a 2-year initiative to provide unrestricted sub-grants for nonprofits that primarily serve LGBTQ+ youth and to support capacity and movement building within and across these organizations. The grants will also promote leadership development for participants to build relationships, share stories, and learn with each other as leaders. This work strengthens LGBTQ+ organizations’ ability and capacity to provide youth programming, engagement, and outreach across Washington. This is a critical moment for the LGBTQ+ community and through this partnership, we will deepen our understanding of the needs of these organizations and the communities they serve. 

Slingshot Challenge

Youth are natural changemakers, committed to taking action toward a more sustainable future. They are the generation that is inheriting our planet and will also determine its future. Research shows that a significantly higher percentage of Gen Z-ers have taken action to address climate change in the last year as compared to older generations. 

The Slingshot Challenge, now in its second year, is a partnership with National Geographic Society that invites youth ages 13-18 to apply their ingenuity to tackle environmental issues in five areas: clean the air, restore the ocean, protect nature, reduce waste, and address climate change. In its first year, the challenge received more than 1,800 submissions from 80 countries. Fifteen finalists ultimately led to five awardees being selected; each receiving $10,000 in funding to further their ideas. Further support, mentoring, and judging will continue to be provided by National Geographic Explorers and Young Explorers.

Rhizome

Research shows that young people’s experiences coming through the pandemic and their mental well-being in this recovery period varies greatly depending on their level of civic access and engagement. The effect of the pandemic will continue for years to come, recognizing that impacts have been disproportionate to young people of color and those that are unemployed or lack education.

The Rhizome Washington State Pilot is a three-year project to establish a statewide network of Rhizome Chapters, connecting 128 teams of Civic Service Fellows across our state by the school year 2025-2026. The Rhizome network model seeks to encourage young individuals to engage in civic service as a lifelong commitment. This Washington State Pilot will allow Rhizome to scale the Civic Service Fellowship state-wide to all 884 public high schools over the next 6 years and demonstrate a successful public-private partnership for other U.S. States to replicate.

“In an era of unmet challenges to our civic engagement and mental health, this collaboration allows Rhizome to scale our grassroots system, deepen our impact, and build collective power for young people. We’re grateful for the foundation's recognition that young people are the future. We hope this early commitment will spur philanthropy to provide more scale-enabling, no-strings-attached funding for young people to create the safer, happier, healthier world they deserve.” 

- Jacob Merkle, Rhizome CEO