Over the years the Community Foundation has made a meaningful commitment of grant dollars and time to support the needs of young people in our community - most notably through our Youth Council.

Established in the 1989-1990 school year with a challenge grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, more than 200 high school students have served on Youth Council - overseeing nearly $1.5 million in grants that have supported a broad array of programs and projects that benefit young people throughout our region.

The original Kellogg Foundation grant encouraged Youth Councils throughout Michigan to "develop systems for involving young people in volunteerism and philanthropy."  Both Kellogg and the Community Foundation recognized that young people, when given the opportunity, provide an important voice and vehicle for strengthening local communities.

Beyond  grants, AAACF wanted Youth Council's impact to provide opportunities to engage a wider audience of youth in community service.  Studies have long shown that when youth actively participate in community service, they experience greater success in school, have higher self-esteem, and acquire a life-long commitment to give back.

Two of AAACF's largest grants have been instrumental in launching two local institutions that provide valuable programming for young people:

• A $120,000 grant in 1993 established the Ann Arbor YMCA's Youth Volunteer Corps.
• A 1998 grant provided seed funding to help launch the Neutral Zone.
  A $150,000 three-year grant in 2007 from both Youth Council and AAACF supported the Neutral Zone's campaign to build a new facility and expand its programming.

Youth Council awards nearly $70,000 in grants annually to support local youth programs.  Click here for a list of the most recent grants.

To learn more about AAACF's Youth Council.