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Youth Fund for Social Change

Crossroads Fund

NontraditionalParticipatory grantmakingExpired · for reference only

Grants of $5,000-$15,000 to youth-led social change projects in the Chicago region, decided by a grantmaking committee that includes youth organizers and young people who conduct the site visits.

Indicative award
$5k–$15k (total award)Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000; the amount is set by the size and scope of the project.
Timing
Annual cycleAnnual cycle · Aug, SepPublished deadline: 2026-09-07 — passed. Kept for reference; check the funder's page for the next cycle.The current cycle opened 6 August 2026 and closes 7 September 2026, with decisions announced in January 2027.
Who can apply
Community organisation, Practitioner, Master's / undergraduate
Eligibility
Applicants are youth up to age 30 running a youth-led project where young people are the decision-makers, based in metro Chicago, the suburbs, or northwestern Indiana up to Gary. You need 501(c)(3) status, a fiscal sponsor, or an organizational bank account, and an organizational budget under $1,000,000 — which effectively rules out a university as the applicant.
SSWR clusters
Topics
youth organizing · education justice · violence prevention · community health · media accountability
Apply at
https://crossroadsfund.org/grants/grant-opportunities/youth-fund-for-social-change/
This entry
Curated by the working group. Written 2026-08-07. Funder link last confirmed to resolve on 2026-09-25.

Amounts and dates on this page are indicative and are maintained by people rather than scraped. Funders change ceilings, windows and eligibility without notice; confirm all details at the source above before applying.

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