2026-2027 Youth Making Change Grant

Project Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be youth-led (age 12-24.) Youth are leaders in all aspects of the project, including the writing of this grant application.
• Must meet the Funding Guideline
• Must operate in a democratic manner, responsive to and directed by the group of people you aim to serve; Teens in the community must benefit from your project, not just the planning team.
• Must attempt to fix a problem affecting youth by providing a solution.
• Must be located in Santa Barbara County.
• Must have a sponsoring organization, such as a school or community group.

Guidelines (requests must align with at least 1):

• Actively support anti-discrimination based on race, sex/gender, age, religion, language spoken or immigration status;
• Actively support communities marginalized by power structures to engage in dialogue and actions that seek to counter social injustice;
• Actively work to improve the rights of workers and their families whose living conditions have been marginalized;
• Promote the cultural life of underserved communities and support the activities of cultural workers;
• Promote self-determination and leadership development in low-income and disenfranchised communities;
• Promote global peace and organize locally for just policies;
• Work on building coalitions to enhance improving environmental justice and address climate change, especially organizing a constituency usually without access to decision-makers;
• Engage in collaborative action and coalition-building to strengthen movement ecosystems; Work against community violence and actively support recovery and restorative justice activities and initiatives;

A strong project also includes (Optional):

• Research to find out the most pressing needs in your community.
• An opportunity for you and other youth planners to develop valuable skills and knowledge.
• An opportunity for other youth in the community to develop valuable skills, knowledge, or experience.
• A plan to keep your project running for a year or more.  

 We do NOT Fund

• Political campaigns that support a candidate or a political party;
• Private (vs. public) interests;
• Direct labor organizing;
• Projects providing direct services without a social change advocacy component;
• Direct support to individuals;
• Building improvements;
• Capital ventures, i.e. machines, vehicles, etc.
• Office equipment;
• Projects located outside of Santa Barbara County.

YMC money can be used for (but not limited to):

• Postage, printing, copying, and design costs;
• Materials or supplies for a program, like art supplies, software, books, etc.
• Items needed for an event, like sound equipment rental, awards, food, prizes, etc.
• Stipends for youth planners to carry out the project – a stipend is an amount of $$ that you get for your work on the project;
• Trips outside of Santa Barbara County that explicitly support your work inside the county through a clear follow-up plan.  

YMC money CANNOT be used for:

• Projects that are planned & led solely by adults;
• Projects that are designed solely to raise money for your group;
• Trips/activities that take place outside of Santa Barbara County and include NO follow-up in the county;
• Stipends or salaries for adult allies;
• Overhead (general) costs of the sponsor organization (Overhead costs are things like the gas bill, the phone bill, or monthly rent)