Yolo Youth Commission announces $160K in grants

Express staff

The Yolo Youth Commission is inviting youth-serving organizations to apply for new grants designed to make a positive impact in the community by addressing the ongoing needs of youth and teens in Yolo County.

Managed by the commission, the $160,000 “Youth Empowered Through Action (YEA!)” grant program offers the opportunity for organizations to apply for four competitive grants in the amount of $40,000 each.

The YEA! grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies, including school districts and county agencies. The grant program is funded by county cannabis tax revenue.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Aug. 7. The commission will review all submitted applications and invite select applicants to advance to a second application round. The grant application and additional materials can be accessed on the Yolo Youth Commission website at www. ycoe.org/youthcommission.

In May, the commission developed the grant process with input from youths collected during public workshops conducted in Davis and Woodland. From the workshops, the commission identified three priority areas for the grants, which include offering free recreational activities, providing additional after school programs with life skills for teens, and expanding civic engagement opportunities for younger youth.

The three priorities identified by the commission were also presented to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on June 27.

Organizations interested in applying for the YEA! grants are encouraged to attend an optional information session to learn more about the grant application process. Two information sessions will be held on July 26 at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A third and final session will be held on

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July 31 at 10 a.m. All sessions will be held via Zoom and meeting details are located at www.ycoe.org/youthcommission.

The Yolo Youth Commission is a partnership between the Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE), Yolo County, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland.

In May 2022, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to establish the youth commission as a twoyear pilot program and authorized YCOE to administer the program. In November 2022, 15 teenagers were selected to serve on the inaugural commission. The commission held its first meeting in January.