OCCE to Offer Mini Grants for Winston-Salem Youth

by rubinj

Through funding from Youth Service America, the Office of Civic & Community Engagement is able to support a handful of youth-led community-based projects in Winston-Salem with eight, $250 mini-grants. This grant is a part of a larger collaboration with HandsOn NWNC & Forsyth County Young Leaders Program to increase youth service engagement in Winston-Salem.

We know that the youth in our city have budding ideas. We also know these ideas are less likely to be funded. We want to support youth-led projects so that we can all benefit from what grows out of them. 

Proposals for the youth engagement grant are due by October 31, 2020, and are reviewed by a collaborative team from the Office of Civic & Community Engagement, HandsOn NWNC, and youth from Forsyth County Young Leaders Program using the following criteria :

  1. Youth-led: Is there a youth (ages 16-25) leading the project?
  2. Issue-based: Is the issue to be addressed clearly stated? Does the plan adequately address the issue? 
  3. Partnership: Is there a clear partnership between the youth and a community-based organization? How strong is the partnership? In what ways will the grant benefit the ongoing development of the partnership?
  4. Sustainability: Is the funding requested part of a larger, long-term initiative or goal? How will the funding support the strategic goals of the overall project?
  5. Operational Excellence: Is there a clear budget? How will success be measured?
  6. Alignment with Focus Areas/Community Needs: Does the project align with one of the OCCE strategic impact areas? If not, how does the project connect to community needs? 

In addition, youth engagement grants must:

  • Not be used to purchase alcohol or to engage in partisan political activity
  • Be under $250
  • Clearly connect Winston Salem youth with community partners on a collaborative project/initiative
  • Allow community-based projects to build capacity for future, continued work
  • Provide reporting on how the money was spent by April 1, 2021, along with copies/scans of receipts

Apply for a YSA Youth-Led Community Mini-Grant

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