Neutral Zone
About With Youth For Youth (WYFY)
Coordinated by Youthprise and funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, With Youth for Youth (WYFY) is a transformational initiative that flips traditional grantmaking by empowering young people to redesign afterschool programming from the ground up.
WYFY builds upon two earlier efforts, the Generator Z project, funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and the Powered by Youth Voice project, funded by the Mott Foundation. Both projects aimed to uplift the voices of young people by promoting more channels for youth to contribute to decisions about afterschool program activities and practice leadership. Through collaborative design thinking sessions and paid youth participation, WYFY centers young people as creators and leaders of their own learning experiences. The goal is to develop blueprints from each partner site that will help afterschool systems amplify youth voices seeking to transform their educational opportunities.
Western New York WYFY
In Western New York, a 24-member Youth Advisory Board of young people ages 13-17 is distributing more than $2 million in grants to out-of-school time and youth sports programs across the region. These young leaders have designed the grant program, developed the criteria, and are making all funding decisions for programs that will serve youth ages 5-18.
Grant Application Information for Western New York Organizations
Organizations serving youth across the nine-county Western New York region, including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, can apply for grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000.
Key Dates:
- Applications available: January 20, 2026
- Application deadline: February 23, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
- Funding decisions announced: April 2026
For complete eligibility requirements, application materials, and detailed information, visit the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo's WYFY page.
Grant decisions will be made by the WYFY Youth Advisory Board and distributions will be managed through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
Southeast Michigan WYFY
Details on grant application process coming soon!
About Generator Z
In 2020, 1,000 teens ages 13–18 from across Western New York and Southeast Michigan participated in Generator Z, an innovative afterschool grantmaking initiative of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Over three phases of engagement, they shared their personal stories and ideas to reimagine the future of afterschool. The “Generators” received up to $1,000 for their participation, recognizing them as the ultimate experts in their own lives. In early 2021, afterschool providers from Western New York and Southeast Michigan were invited to apply for grants to bring the ideas of these Generators to life. Generator Z awarded more than $4 million in grants – ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 - to over 90 organizations that turned teen insight into action, ultimately fueling the development of new afterschool opportunities driven by and for young people. Learn more about the Generators and Grantees at Generator-Z.org.
BACKGROUND
Generator Z asked "Gen Z" to be the voice of their own afterschool experience. Generator Z was born from the Foundation's data collection effort - Teen Opinions Count - which aimed to better understand what teens wanted during their time outside of school and to better support the afterschool organizations who served teens every day. From this data exploration, 10 themes were recognized as areas that teens were interested in:
- Mental, Social & Emotional Health
- Identity & Acceptance
- Growth & Wellness
- Friends & Community
- Excellence in Learning
- Jobs & Careers
- Creative Arts & Culture
- Fun & Games
- Play & Sports
- Life Skills & Balance
Driven by teens and powered by Lakeshore Connections with the support of RCWJRF, Generator Z flipped the script on traditional grantmaking by inviting teens to lead the conversation on afterschool and inviting afterschool providers to turn ideas into action.
