Youth Leadership announces venture grant program

Thirty members of the Valley United Way’s Youth Leadership Program are currently putting their leadership training skills to work as they seek to distribute small venture grants to community organizations in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. 
The Youth Leadership Venture Grant Program is targeted at assisting organizations that either have or are planning on implementing programs or services that serve the needs of Valley Youth.

The following issues were identified as areas of critical concern to Valley United Way Youth Leaders: underage drinking, texting and driving, road/driving rules, bullying, drugs, underage drinking, mentoring and after school activities and youth coping with cancer. 
Applications must be targeted in those areas.

A “Request for Proposal” is available on the United Way website (www.valleyunitedway.org) to Valley organizations that work with Valley youth. 
Once the RFP is submitted the agency/program director will be contacted by a Youth Leader to set up a meeting to discuss the grant request.  Recommendations are then brought to the full Youth Leadership membership for discussion and approval. 
The total pool of funding available this year is $2,000, and the limit for any grant is $1,000. This “allocations process” is modeled after the procedure followed by local United Ways throughout the country when they distribute campaign funds to their member or partner agencies.

If you are a nonprofit organization and have an innovative program/service that focuses on one (or more) of the identified needs above targeted by Valley United Way Youth Leaders go to www.valleyunitedway.org to apply.