The Youth in Philanthropy Program

Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) is a youth leadership program that gives area teenagers hands-on experience with philanthropic giving.

YIP provides young people guidance, money, and mentorship to directly fund, through a grant application process, a local nonprofit organization. The YIP program challenges our young participants in demonstrating leadership, solving problems, studying proposals, managing budgets, working collaboratively, and presenting their views to an audience of peers and adults.

We believe our young people are more than capable of making informed decisions about community needs and tackling issues such as homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, and other major social concerns. Through YIP, they are able to create immediate solutions through grants. We hope that through the knowledge and experience gained in YIP, that our youth will apply what they have learned and impact lasting, constructive change in our communities.

YIP Program 2025 at a Glance

An 8-week hands-on experience where local high school students explore the world of nonprofits, evaluate real grant proposals, and make an actual funding decision—while building leadership, public speaking, and critical thinking skills.

Pre-Program Kickoff

Location: TBD
Start the journey with a day of team-building, trust-building, and outdoor fun to connect with fellow changemakers.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Week 1 – Orientation & Community Building
Learn the basics of philanthropy and nonprofits while connecting with peers and laying the foundation for impactful teamwork.

Weeks 2–5 – On-Site Nonprofit Visits
Tour five local nonprofits, meet staff, review real proposals, ask meaningful questions, and experience missions in action.

Week 6 – Decision Time
Use what you’ve learned to evaluate organizations, discuss funding priorities, and vote on which nonprofit will receive the grant.

Week 7 – Storytelling & Presentation Skills
Craft compelling presentations and practice public speaking in preparation for the final showcase.

Week 8 – Graduation & Celebration
Share your journey, present your grant decision, and celebrate your accomplishments with family, friends, and community leaders. Scholarships and certificates awarded!

NEW in 2025:

Leadership Track

A deeper dive for returning students: develop and pitch a school-based project, compete for scholarships, and mentor peers.

Real-World Skills • Real Community Impact • Real Grant Decisions

Join a team of youth leaders ready to make a difference.

How to Join YIP

Student Applications For YIP 2025 Open Aug 11th and will be due By 5:00 p.m. September, 12 2025.

The program is open to sophomore, junior, and senior high school students from the counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Rappahannock.

Being a member of YIP is an exciting and empowering opportunity that allows area youth to give away more money than the average community member donates in a given year. Along with this comes the understanding that they have a responsibility to decide which projects will receive funding based upon feasibility, community need and collaboration with other groups. Youth in Philanthropy has weekly meetings from mid-August through mid-October. Members must commit to making YIP a priority throughout the session. Seniors organize and lead the program each week.

Space in this program is limited, so slots fill quickly. Ideal candidates have an interest in representing northern Piedmont youth and are able to demonstrate:

Commitment by attending weekly meetings
Flexibility by working with a diverse group of youth and adults
Enthusiasm by sharing their excitement, passion, insight, and expertise

Nonprofits: Apply for a YIP Grant

Who is Eligible?

Any 501(c)(3) project that resides or serves a majority in our four counties is eligible for program funding if it fulfills one of YIP’s three requirements. These three requirements are:

Youth must be involved in the development of the program, or Youth must be involved in the execution of the program, or Youth must be served by the program.

“Youth” is defined as any school-aged person up to and including undergraduate students.
YIP will choose two finalist candidates from the pool of applicants, one of which will be awarded a grant of exactly $10,000.

Applications to receive a 2025 YIP grant will open July 7, 2025 and close August 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Grant Amount: $10,000.00

For more information or assistance in completing the grant application please contact:

Renard Carlos:  (540) 349-0631 Ext.4,  Rcarlos@npcf.org
Liz Rose: Lrose@npcf.org