With Youth For Youth (WYFY) grant recipients selected by 24-member WYFY Youth Advisory Board through youth-led grantmaking process across nine-county region
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Young people across Western New York have directed more than $2 million in grants to out-of-school time and youth sports programs that reflect what youth say they need to learn, belong, lead, play, and thrive.
Through With Youth For Youth (WYFY), a 24-member WYFY Youth Advisory Board, ages 13-17 years, designed the grantmaking process, reviewed applications, and selected recipients serving young people across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. The initiative is funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
The grants will support 40 organizations across Western New York, with awards ranging from $25,000 to $120,000. Funded programs serve youth ages 5–18, ranging from afterschool and drop-in youth programs, community-based youth sports, arts and culture, and workforce development, to library-based programming, leadership development, civic engagement, prevention, restorative programs, and other youth-centered opportunities.
Unlike traditional grantmaking models, WYFY places young people in real decision-making roles. WYFY Youth Advisory Board members designed the grant guidelines, evaluated applications, considered regional needs, and made award decisions based on criteria that include youth voice and leadership, youth experience and benefits, mission and impact, responsible use of funds, systems-level thinking, and geographic representation.
“This was not just about asking young people what they think,” said Tracy Wolfe, Program Lead, WNY WYFY. “WYFY gave youth real responsibility, real resources, and real authority. Adults supported the process, but young people made the decisions.”
Youth leaders said they want the community to understand the work behind the awards: the time they invested, the way they listened to one another, and their belief that young people are capable of making decisions that affect their communities.
“I hope these grants create a Western New York where kids have better experiences and programs have better tools to create those experiences,” said Adryen, WYFY Youth Advisory Board Member from Chautauqua County. “I feel like the projects we chose to give money to will help both a lot. I really want young people to enjoy the activities and opportunities offered through the programs we chose.”
The youth leaders stressed that the selected grantees were chosen for their ability to expand access, elevate youth voice, and create meaningful experiences for young people who may not always have those opportunities available to them. Youth Advisory Board members were especially interested in programs that felt specific, relevant, and responsive to young people’s real lives.
“The WYFY Youth Advisory Board members put a lot of time and effort into the process of being grantmakers and creating positive change in Western New York,” said My’Aire, WYFY Youth Advisory Board Member from Erie County. “We want to show that young people can do hard things. Youth can serve in responsible leadership roles and produce similar results. Age isn’t a limitation on someone’s intellect—they just have to be given a chance, like WYFY gave us.”
The WYFY Youth Advisory Board includes representation across urban and rural communities in the nine-county region. Over the last year, youth board members participated in leadership development, experiential adventure-based learning, and design-thinking sessions that prepared them to make strategic funding decisions. Their work reflects a larger goal: not only to fund strong programs, but to help reshape how Western New York listens to and invests in young people.
Funding will be distributed through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The WYFY Youth Advisory Board, grant recipients, partners, and funders will also gather on June 13 at Poplar Hill in East Aurora to celebrate the youth-led process and recognize the selected programs.
The grant recipients are:
- Boys & Girls Club of East Aurora
- Boys & Girls Club of Holland
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester, Inc.
- Boys & Girls Club of Eden Lakeshore
- Bridges from Borders, Inc.
- Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
- Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art
- Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences
- Buffalo String Works
- Buffalo Vineyard dba 5 Loaves Farm
- Buffalo-Area Engineering Awareness for Minorities
- CA-DIDI (Cattaraugus Allegany Dream It. Do It.). OBDO dba CA-DIDI
- Children’s Institute, Inc.
- Collaborative Children’s Solutions
- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County
- First Tee of Western New York
- Girl Scouts of Western New York, Inc.
- Girls on the Run of Buffalo, Inc
- GLOW – Workforce Development Board – GLOW Works INC.
- Horses Healing Hearts Inc.
- Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, Inc.
- Junior Achievement of WNY
- Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo
- Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Outdoor Arts & Recreation Society Inc.
- Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective
- Peace of the City Ministries
- Police Athletic League of Buffalo, Inc. – Main
- Project Mona’s House
- ProsperRochester, Inc.
- Rural Outreach Center (ROC)
- Rust Belt Robotics
- Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc.
- Springville Youth Inc.
- The Center for Teen Empowerment
- United Somali Alliance of Buffalo
- Valley Community Association , Inc.
- Vertus Charter School
- WAHI Studio, Inc.
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About WNY With Youth For Youth (WYFY)
Afterschool With Youth for Youth (WYFY) is a multifaceted initiative empowering young people to redesign afterschool programming from the ground up. Coordinated by Youthprise and funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the project connects five partner sites across the United States (Missouri, Minnesota, Southeast Michigan, Vermont, and Western New York). WYFY builds upon two earlier efforts, the Generator Z project, funded by the Wilson Foundation, and the Powered by Youth Voice project, funded by the Mott Foundation. Both projects aimed to uplift the voices of young people by promoting more channels for youth to contribute to decisions about program activities and practice leadership. Through collaborative design thinking sessions and paid youth participation, WYFY centers young people as creators and leaders of their own learning experiences. The goal is to develop blueprints from each partner site that will help afterschool systems amplify youth voices seeking to transform their educational opportunities.
About the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
For more than a century, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo has enhanced and encouraged long-term philanthropy in the Western New York community. A 501(c)(3) organization, the Community Foundation’s mission is connecting people, ideas, and resources to improve lives in Western New York. Established in 1919, the Community Foundation has made the most of the generosity of individuals, families, foundations, and organizations who entrust charitable assets to the Community Foundation’s care. Learn more at cfgb.org.
About the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated primarily to sustained investment in the quality of life of the people of Southeast Michigan and Western New York. The two areas reflect the devotion of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. to his hometown of Detroit and greater Buffalo, home of his beloved Buffalo Bills NFL team. Prior to his passing in 2014, Mr. Wilson provided that a significant share of his estate be used to continue a life-long generosity of spirit by funding the Foundation that bears his name. Based in Detroit, the Foundation began with a grantmaking capacity of $1.2 billion over a 20-year period, which expires January 8, 2035. This structure is consistent with Mr. Wilson’s desire for the Foundation’s impact to be immediate, substantial, measurable, and overseen by those who knew him best.
For more information about the Foundation, visit rcwjrf.org.