Young Grantmakers Initiative

About the Committee

The Young Adult Grant Advisory Committee (YAGAC)  or “Young Grantmakers” program was established in 2020 by the Raikes Foundation and the Y Social Impact Center in Seattle, WA. The program is intended to share power with young people and center grantmaking in equity by involving impacted communities in philanthropic decisions. The committee is a team of young adults who have lived experience with housing instability and a passion for serving their community. Together, they develop their understanding of philanthropy and social justice and design a funding opportunity to disburse a total of $100,000 among local nonprofits working to address youth homelessness.

The housing crisis is one of King County's most pressing issues.The 2026 Point in Time (PIT) Count estimates over 18,000 people experiencing homelessness countywide. This figure has continued to rise over the years, increasing by 9% since 2024. KCRHA data has estimated that youth and young adults make up 13% of those accessing housing services in King County, representing a significant need for YYA facing services.

Young people have distinct needs and enter homelessness through unique pathways such as foster care exits, the juvenile justice system, or family rejection. These “hidden” experiences often involve couch surfing, doubling up, or other forms of homelessness that are not visible. While commonly considered to be abundant in housing services and programs, King County still experiences a shortage in services targeting youth and young adults. With few targeted programs allowing for services such as drop-ins or emergency shelter, youth are too often placed in adult shelters and programs unsuited for meeting their specific needs.

The Young Adult Grant Advisory Committee is currently offering up to $25,000 in unrestricted (general operations) funding to nonprofits addressing youth and young adult homelessness in King County.

Mission & Core Values

The mission of the Young Adult Grant Advisory Committee is to invest in organizations that reduce barriers, challenge inequities, and advance culturally grounded solutions to address and prevent youth and young adult homelessness. By creating pathways for young leaders to pair their lived experience with data-informed decision-making, we aim to design an equitable funding opportunity that is responsive to community needs. 

The core values that guide our work are:

• Collaboration
• Strength in Community
• Lived Experience
• Equity & Social Justice
• Innovation
• Respect

Application & Award Timeline

Eligibility

• Must be a certified 501(c)3 or have a Fiscal Sponsor with an EID number.
• Funds must be used to support programs in King County.
• Must be providing services which address homelessness and/or housing instability for
  youth and young adults ages 13-24.
  • Please note that services do not need to be accessible for the entire indicated age range. For example, organizations only serving youth age 13-18 or young adults age 18-24 are still eligible for funds.
• Must not be a current or past Raikes Foundation grantee receiving grants or gifts over $3,000.
   

Funding Priorities

Priority will be given to organizations that are serving majority BIPOC youth and/or LGBTQIA+ youth, youth impacted by the foster care system, and organizations providing services to young immigrants and refugees.

The committee selected this year’s funding priorities with intention. While homelessness affects young people of all identities, both national and local data indicate a disproportionate impact on BIPOC youth and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. The most recent 2026 KCRHA PIT Count further reflects this disparate impact on local communities of color.

The pathways for youth into homelessness are also incredibly diverse. However, the literature suggests that young people who have spent time in foster care are at a particularly high risk for homelessness and have poorer outcomes than those who have no foster care system engagement. It has been estimated that 34% of youth aging out of foster care become homeless within one year (United Way, 2017).

For generations, immigrant communities have been vital to the cultural and economic fabric of King County. Immigrants and refugees make up 26% of all King County residents. In recent months, we have seen unprecedented cuts to federal funding for services that support immigrant communities. Aggressive federal immigration raids and threats of state sanctioned violence have disrupted lives of immigrants and provoked a sense of fear among our neighbors. In response, the King County Executive signed an Executive Order in February which allocated $2 million in emergency support funding to meet emerging needs for immigrant, refugee and asylee communities. We aim to follow this example and further empower vulnerable immigrant YYA by prioritizing local organizations who are responding to their emerging needs.

Reporting Requirements

Reporting updates will occur at an in-person event in April 2027 (date TBD) including
representatives from all awarded organizations and the Young Adult Grant Advisory Committee.

Awardees will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation detailing the impact of funding, and
experience with the funding application/interview process.

Organizations which receive funds commit to providing transparency and accountability for their
usage at the informal 6-month update in April 2027. Funds are expected to be used within 12
months of disbursement.

Application Instructions

Letters of Inquiry will be accepted from July 20 - August 21, 2026. Applying organizations are asked to complete the Letter of Inquiry Submission Form and upload Letters of Inquiry as a pdf attachment within the form no later than August 21, 2026 by 11:59PM Pacific Time. Please ensure letter formatting and content aligns with the guidelines in the following section.

Note that the Letter of Inquiry Submission Form includes a series of short answer questions to establish eligibility and an organizational point of contact. The form also requires each applicant to provide demographic representation of the organization’s board, executive leadership, and staff.

Please allow sufficient time to complete the entire form by the submission deadline. We suggest gathering demographic information for your organization’s board, leadership, and staff before completing the form.

If the committee determines your organization aligns with their mission and funding intentions, you will be invited to a virtual interview during the interview period in September.

Letters of Inquiry

Letters of Inquiry should address the following questions:

• Brief description of the organization and services provided
• What are the target population(s) your organization serves?
• What is the need your organization hopes to address with this funding? How will the funds be used to meet this need over a 12-month period?
• How does this work address youth and young adult housing instability?
• Optional: Anything else you would like to add about the impact this funding will have on your organization and/or community?

Letters of Inquiry must adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

• Single spaced 12 point font in Times New Roman
• 1” page margins
• Letters should not exceed 2 pages in length

Questions & Virtual Information Session

Potential applicants are encouraged to work with the committee to discuss components of the application where they may have additional questions or need support. If you have questions or comments please send them to us at y-yagac@seattleymca.org

The committee will host a virtual information session on Microsoft Teams on Wednesday August 5, 2026 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm to answer questions about the application process. We strongly encourage interested applicants to attend the session. For those unable to attend, a recording of the information session will be posted on this page the following day. 

• Link to Join Virtual Information Session: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/210142795195705?p=WrwYI6ojhFRdF2qvpK
• Meeting ID: 210 142 795 195 705
• Passcode: XR767eG6 

Virtual Interviews

If the committee determines your organization aligns with our mission and funding intentions, you will be invited to a virtual interview during the interview period in September (September 14 - September 25, 2026). Interviews will be on Microsoft Teams and include a panel of committee members. All interviews will be recorded.