Western New York Youth To Lead Effort To Award More Than $2 Million In Grants To Support Out-Of-School Time Programs
‘With Youth For Youth’ (WYFY) Initiative Launched to Better Integrate Youth Voice into Afterschool Programs & Systems with Funding Support from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a groundbreaking shift in philanthropy, a 24-member Youth Advisory Board of teenagers ages 13-17 will distribute more than $2 million in grants to out-of-school time and youth sports pro grams across Western New York. The effort is funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and part of With Youth For Youth (WYFY), a national initiative which puts decision-making power directly in the hands of young people to rethink how their com munities invest in youth development programs, and ultimately, transform their educational opportunities by embedding youth voice into after school systems.
Beginning January 20, 2026, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and schools serving youth ages 5-18 can apply for grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000. Applications for this one time grant process are due February 23 at 4 p.m., with funding decisions to be announced in April and grant distributions made through the Com munity Foundation for Greater Buffalo beginning in June.
Unlike traditional grantmaking models, the Western New York WYFY Youth Advisory Board has designed the grant guidelines and will evaluate applications and make the grant award decisions. The initiative serves the nine-county region including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Mon roe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. Over the last year, the Youth Advisory Board, which has representation from across all nine counties, has participated in leadership development, experiential adventure-based learning, and design-thinking sessions that prepared them to make strategic funding decisions.
“Research continues to prove that programs are more efficient when youth voice and par ticipation are constantly present,” said Willow, a Youth Advisory Board member from Warsaw. “Youth voice being implemented in pro grams helps engagement and relevance to increase.”
The Youth Advisory Board will evaluate appli cations based on criteria including youth voice and leadership, youth experience and benefits, mission and impact, and systems-level thinking. Geographic representation across all nine counties will be considered to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
“When young people are meaningfully involved in decision making, they develop leader ship and self-advocacy skills, feel respected and valued, and are more likely to commit to and benefit from the pro gram,” explained Abigail, a board member from Lyndonville.
Eligible programs include afterschool and drop-in youth programs, community-based youth sports, arts and cultural programs, workforce development, library based programming, leadership development, and prevention programs.
The initiative is part of a national WYFY effort supported by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in partnership with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Five partner sites across the country are working with Youth prise to build sustain able youth leadership infrastructures rooted in equity, shared power, and design thinking.
Western New York Grant Application Details:
Process Opens: January 20, 2026
Virtual Information Session for Interested Organizations: January 21, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.
Deadline to Apply: February 23, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. (no exceptions)
Funding Range: $25,000 - $150,000
Limit: One application per organization
Decision Notifications: April 2026
Fund Distribution: June 2026
For more information about eligibility require ments and to access the application and informa tion session link, orga nizations should visit https://www.cfgb.org/ nonprofits/grants/with youth-for-youth-wyfy grant-opportunities-for western-new-york/ or contact Tracy Bradshaw at tbradshaw@bgcea.org.