Youth Participatory Grantmaking Project

The 2025 Interest Form is now closed as of December 13, 2024.

Students are often the target for funding decisions but rarely have a democratic say in how funding allocations or decisions are made. The SESEC Youth Participatory Grantmaking Project seeks to flip these power dynamics by creating a framework for students, and especially students of color in SE Seattle, to make funding decisions and support their leadership in this arena.

By creating a pool of resources and mentoring youth of color in making decisions around how to bring those resources to their own schools and communities, this project provides them a voice in shaping their own educational and life experiences. As they become more confident in understanding their role in shaping their environment, they will ultimately strengthen their self-advocacy skills and their ability to disrupt current practices that exclude them from school-based and community-based decision-making altogether. This is also a trust building exercise between young people and systems, where we learn together and alongside each other how to re-shape and create new ways of being in community together.

Participants meet regularly throughout the school year from January to May, where they receive supportive training and mentoring in the areas of local education policy, social justice-focused philanthropy, and advocacy skills development. At the end of each cohort, youth participants collaboratively allocate grant funding to their schools and/or school communities that support greater opportunity for youth in Seattle. For more information, check out this South Seattle Emerald article about our first Youth Grantmaking Cohort.

If you have any questions or concerns before applying, feel free to reach out to [email protected] to discuss whether the program is a fit for you.

This program is designed for:

Southeast Seattle-based youth of color grades 9-12 who attend high school at Interagency, Franklin, Cleveland, or Rainier Beach who are interested in developing their leadership capacity, learning about philanthropy as a powerful tool for social justice, and meeting new people. This is a paid opportunity.

Next scheduled program:

Participants will meet approximately twice a month on Saturdays or Sundays from January to May 2025. The start date will be on either January 11 or 12, 2025. The exact dates and time will depend on what works best for applicants/participants and will work around SPS breaks. The sessions will be at the SESEC office in El Centro De La Raza (2524 16th Ave South, Suite #306 Seattle, WA 98144). Our location is served by light rail and Metro bus routes 36, 60 and 107.

Exact days and times will be determined by the cohort’s preferences and availability via the application and confirmed via email.

Interest Form: Closed on Dec 13, 2024.