GLCF re-launches Youth Philanthropy Council

According to a news release, the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation (GLCF) is re-launching this local tradition for the 2023-24 academic year.

The Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) consists of 27 outstanding seniors from 12 high schools in the region the GLCF serves including Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.

The primary role of YPC members is to award $15,000 in grants to deserving local nonprofit organizations, the release said.

“This opportunity allows students to better understand how philanthropy impacts our community,” the release states. “Students are advised by local community leaders who guide them through the process of awarding grants.”

Since its inception in 2003, the Youth Philanthropy program has been a rewarding experience for all those involved, Kathryn Yarzebinski, GLCF president and CEO said.

“The Youth Philanthropy Council teaches high school seniors about how local nonprofits make their community better,” she said in the release. “As students go through the grantmaking process, they learn a lot of life lessons. This includes how to work through the steps of an eight-month process, how to critically read and evaluate requests for funding, and how to present their own independent findings and research to others. Most importantly, they are learning to sit around a table with people who may have very different perspectives and opinions, and respectfully communicate in order to come to a consensus.”

The program was established as the centerpiece of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation in 2002.

Since 2003, Wells Fargo Investment Management has graciously provided the money for the annual $10,000 Youth Philanthropy Award. The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation provides funding for an additional $5,000 award and other additional expenses of the program, the release states.

The YPC held its kickoff meeting on Sept. 20 at Central Virginia Community College and will meet periodically throughout the school year.

The students review grant applications, rate the applications, perform site visits of the top applicants and prepare presentations on these applications.

From this process, a final vote is taken to determine which agencies will receive the $10,000 grant and the $5,000 grant.

The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation was established in 1972 to promote local philanthropy. The mission of the GLCF is to enhance the quality of life for neighbors in the area by the establishment of permanent endowments with income distributed annually to charitable organizations within the community.

Since 1972, the GLCF has granted more than $31 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations including human services, animal welfare, arts, education and historical preservation organizations. In 2023, the GLCF awarded over $2.2 million to 211 charitable organizations, the release states.