One of the signature programs of the New Canaan Community Foundation is the Young Philanthropists Program. Each year, approximately thirty high school students come together to learn about philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, and how they can have an impact on local community issues. Students spend the year learning about various organizations in the area, how to fundraise, and complete a miniature version of the Foundation’s grantmaking process.
This past school year, students focused on funding human services, health, and youth-oriented organizations, many of which have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. One participant, a graduating NCHS Senior, commented “These organizations have struggled providing services to their members due to COVID. We really wanted to make sure we could support the ones that meant the most to us.”
Combining investment earnings from NCCF’s Young Philanthropists Fund along with donations the students raised through their online fundraiser, to the group invested $20,000 in 5 organizations. The Young Philanthropist 2022 grants are as follows:
Building One Community: $4,000 to support the organization’s mission to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families.
Filling in the Blanks: $4,000 to support the organization’s mission to fight childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends.
Kids in Crisis: $4,000 to support the organization’s mission to provide emergency shelter, crisis counseling, and community education programs for children of all ages and families facing crisis.
Malta House: $4,000 to support the organization’s mission to provide a nurturing home environment and support services to break the cycle of poverty for pregnant and parenting mothers and their children.
Waveny LifeCare Network: $4,000 to support the organization’s mission to provide a compassionate continuum of care to serve the changing needs of seniors.
Lauren Patterson, President & CEO of the New Canaan Community Foundation, stated “NCCF is proud of the work put in by these students, but even more proud of the lessons learned through the decision-making process that led to these grants. Each of these Young Philanthropists leaves with a greater understanding of the world around them. These are life skills they will carry forward wherever they go.”
Registration for the 2022-23 Young Philanthropists Program is currently open and can be accessed here. New Canaan Community Foundation encourages those interested in learning how to make a difference in your community to apply.
The New Canaan Community Foundation, founded in 1977, serves as New Canaan's local partner for advice, leadership, and facilitation of charitable giving. Their vision strives for a New Canaan that comes together to address both individual and local challenges, enriching the lives of all community members. To-date, the New Canaan Community Foundation has invested over $21 million in nonprofit organizations, working with individuals and businesses to achieve their philanthropic goals through donor-advised funds and other partnerships.