Header photo by Brittany Greeson, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Flint young people with ideas to improve their schools, organizations, or community have another chance to apply for microgrants through the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s Youth Choice Awards.
Earlier this year, as part of the Mott Foundation’s centennial celebration, 50 grants were awarded for projects related to mentorship, arts, mental health, a classroom food pantry, youth business support, and more. Each grant is for $1,926 — in honor of the year the Mott Foundation was founded. The Mott Foundation intends to award 100 total grants as part of the initiative.
The application deadline for the second round is October 9. To be eligible, participants must be K-12 students who attend a school within Flint’s city limits, attend a school that’s part of the Network for Excellence, or participate in a program at a community-based organization in the city that has nonprofit status and 10 or more actively enrolled students.
Schools and nonprofit organizations can apply for support for up to three projects. An adult advisor or teacher must submit each application, and those who received funds in the first round are eligible to apply again.
Grants are awarded “relay” style, meaning winners chosen from the last week of the first round of applications will choose the first set of winners in the second round, who will then select the next week’s winners. That pattern continues on until all grants are awarded.
As with the first round, the second round of Youth Choice Awards will operate as relay grants. This means the winners chosen from the last week of the first round of applications will choose the first set of winners for the second round. Those winners will then select the next week’s winners — and so on — until all remaining grants are awarded.
In a statement, Ridgway White, Mott Foundation president and CEO, noted that the idea behind the Youth Choice Awards is a belief that, “Flint’s young people know what they need.”
“We’ve been so inspired by the projects already proposed, and we’re excited to see what Flint kids want to see happen with the next round of awards,” White said.
In their news release, the Mott Foundation noted that Patrice Howard, a student in the youth entrepreneurship program at Powers Catholic, was able to attend a 4-day educational trip to New York City for the Next Gen Fellowship Program through the grants. While there, she attended New York Fashion Week and toured the Fashion Institute of Technology to learn about college opportunities in design, fashion, and other creative realms.
“Receiving this support has shown me how one opportunity can lead to so many more,” Howard said in the news release. “This support isn’t just helping us attend a trip. It’s giving us experiences, connections and confidence that can continue to open doors long after this opportunity is over.”
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