SCE’s founder Susan Crown reflects on the mentors who shaped her leadership long before she had the credentials to justify their belief in her, and why that kind of investment created a deep sense of responsibility to pay it forward. She shares why the strongest relationships are rooted in candor, humility, and genuine connection rather than constant contact, and how building a culture where people debate ideas, not intentions, has been central to her leadership.

Read the full edition here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/connected-6801146159718109184/

When we launched the Million Coaches Challenge in 2021, we did so with a hypothesis: that training coaches in evidence-based youth development practices at scale could change the experience of young people in sport. Not just on the field, but in the ways they build confidence, find belonging, and develop the skills they’ll carry into the rest of their lives.

Four years later, with 18 national, state, and local Partner organizations, MCC has trained more than 1 million coaches. We’re proud to share Winning Beyond the Game, the Million Coaches Challenge Implementation Study—an independent, multiyear research effort conducted by the American Institutes for Research that documents what that work has produced.

What the Research Found

The study draws on one of the most extensive data sets on youth coaches to date including survey responses from more than 13,800 coaches across 18 national Partner organizations.

The findings are clear:

• 88% of coaches said training made them a better coach, gaining confidence in:
  • supporting athletes’ life skills and building strong relationships
  • creating inclusive environments
  • supporting athletes’ mental health
• 72% believed their athletes were more likely to stay in sport
• 66% observed more joy among the young people they coach

These aren’t small gains. They represent a meaningful shift in how coaches show up and what that means for the millions of young people in their care.

Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers

One of the study’s most significant findings is one that’s harder to quantify: alignment. Across 33 trainings from 10 MCC partners, coaches were converging around the same core principles — building relationships, creating safe and inclusive environments, prioritizing effort and growth, and supporting their own well-being. In a youth sports landscape that has historically been fragmented and inconsistent, that alignment is itself a model.

The research also affirms something we’ve believed from the start: training is necessary, but not sufficient on its own. Its impact is strongest when embedded in systems — supported by mentorship, peer learning, and organizations that prioritize youth development at every level.

A Kick-off, Not a Finish Line

This work would not have been possible without the 18 Partner organizations who trained coaches, contributed data, and helped build the evidence base, as well as AIR, whose rigorous, independent research gives these findings their weight.

As Susan Crown, SCE’s founder, put it: “The question now is how we use what we’ve learned to ensure that every coach — not just the one million coaches already trained — has what they need to show up for young people.”

This study is a milestone. It also marks the beginning of MCC’s next phase, including its Calls to Action and the Empower Every Coach initiative, which focuses on building the systems-level infrastructure that makes quality coaching the norm.

Read the full report here.

Each year, our staff and board nominate several organizations to receive Catalyst Awards: one-time contributions made as part of our year-end giving. These organizations typically work on issues beyond our primary program areas. What unites them is their distinct and promising approaches to chronic social problems.

In a year marked with profound challenges, the work of these 15 organizations feels urgent and critical. We’re proud to support their exemplary work.

Arts and Culture

Broadway Advocacy Coalition: Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s mission is to use arts and storytelling to build a more equitable society – and build the collective capacity of individuals, organizations, and coalitions to do the same.

Intonation Music: Intonation uses the art of music making as a tool to hold space for youth to find their sound and discover new depths of their talent and potential.

Community and Economic Development

Greater Chicago Food Depository: The Greater Chicago Food Depository strives to end hunger by connecting the Chicagoland community with healthy food and advancing solutions that address the root causes of hunger.

Revolution Workshop: Revolution Workshop provides training and job placement in the construction sector to dedicated individuals from Chicago’s most under-resourced communities.

Education

Girl Security: With a vision to forge equity in national security, Girl Security prepares girls, women, and gender minorities for national security careers through a National Security Workforce Development Program, mentoring, in person and e-training, and digital fluency an AI online toolkits.

Making Caring Common: Making Caring Common, works to create a better and more just world by supporting educators, parents, and caregivers in raising children, teens and young adults who care for others and the common good.

Health and Human Services

Mod Collective Diaper Dollars Program: MOD Collective exists to end diaper need so every child has a healthy start to life. It advocates to raise awareness of diaper needs and to support policies that increase access to diapers for low-income families.

New Moms: New Moms’ mission is to strengthen families by partnering with young moms as they progress towards housing stability, economic mobility, and family well-being. The organization supports moms 24 years or younger through access to housing, paid job training, college success, and family support.

Immigration

Chicago Street Vendor Relief Fund: The Street Vendors Relief Fund in Chicago aims to provide financial assistance to the street vendors facing economic hardship.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) builds power with over 100 member and partner organizations representing diverse immigrant and refugee communities. Together the coalition works to win policies to ensure a more equitable society rooted in dignity and respect for all.

Journalism and Civic Engagement

Braver Angels: Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.

FRONTLINE: FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world.

More Equitable Democracy: More Equitable Democracy is a racial justice organization working to advance racial equity through electoral reform.

The Trace: The Trace is building the only team of journalists exclusively dedicated to reporting on our country’s gun violence crisis. It uses the power of journalism to improve public understanding, increase accountability, and identify solutions that can lead to safer homes and communities for all Americans.

WTTW: WTTW is committed to producing and presenting trusted, best-in-class content fueled by a distinctly Chicago sensibility. It engages its audiences by entertaining, inspiring, educating, and reflecting a diversity of perspectives.

Photo Credit: Intonation Music

The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) announces Empower Every Coach, a $1 million funding opportunity designed to address the systemic barriers preventing millions of coaches from accessing the tools, training, and support they need to help young people thrive on and off the field.

Backed by funding from the Susan Crown Exchange, the initiative seeks to support 6–8 high-impact, systems-level projects that advance the MCC Calls to Action— Insights, Narrative, Organizational Practice, and Policy. Developed by MCC partners and youth sports leaders, these four sector-wide priorities represent a long-term vision to transform coaching nationwide. Grants of $100,000 to $250,000 will be awarded for projects over 12–18 months, with at least one project funded in each of four key domains.

The Million Coaches Challenge is a collective of public and private partners from across youth sports working to ensure every coach in America is prepared to support young people’s well-being. Grounded in the belief that quality coaching at every level fosters positive youth development, mental health, and safety, MCC reached a critical milestone in October 2025 of training one million coaches nationwide. Empower Every Coach builds on this progress, marking the next phase of MCC’s work, moving from individual impact to the systems-level change needed to ensure every coach in America is prepared to support young people’s well-being.

Why Quality Coaching Matters  

Sports play a unique role in fostering belonging, resilience, joy, and mental health for the more than 40 million young people who participate each year. Research shows that at least two-thirds of the nation’s 6.5 million coaches lack the training and support needed to meet athletes’ developmental and mental health needs. Fewer than 20% of coaches report feeling confident in addressing performance anxiety, identifying off-the-field stressors, or connecting athletes to mental health resources.

MCC invites youth sports providers, coach training organizations, intermediaries, and governing bodies that are clearly aligned with one or more of MCC’s Calls to Action to submit a letter of inquiry. The projects considered for funding through Empower Every Coach will address challenges, including building field-wide understanding of quality coaching, translating research into real-world practice, elevating and reshaping narratives around coaching, and advancing policies and systems that expand equitable access to quality coaching—particularly in underserved communities.

“Systems change requires coordinated action,” said Haviland Sharvit, Executive Director of Susan Crown Exchange. “This initiative will support projects that are ready to translate vision into impact—projects that can shift norms, influence policy, and strengthen the infrastructure behind youth coaching across the country.”

How To Apply

MCC invites qualified 501(c)(3) organizations to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). Collaborative proposals are encouraged. LOIs should be 1–2 pages and outline the proposed project, alignment with MCC Calls to Action, expected systems-level impact, and budget.

Key Dates

• January 21, 2026: LOI opens
• February 17, 2026: Submission deadline for LOIs at 5:00pm CST
• March 11, 2026: Semi-finalists will be invited to submit a full grant proposal
• April 9, 2026: Full proposals due at 5:00pm CST 
• April 24, 2026: Finalists will be invited to the interview round
• April 29-May 12, 2026: Interviews with finalists
• May 19, 2026: Decision date
• July 2026: Grants disbursed

Full application details and submission instructions are available here. Please direct questions to info@millioncoaches.org. 

About Million Coaches Challenge

The Million Coaches Challenge is a national initiative launched by the Susan Crown Exchange in 2021 to transform Youth Sports by training one million coaches in evidence-based youth development practices. Backed by 18+ partners, including the Aspen Institute’s Project Play and research led by the American Institutes for Research, the Million Coaches Challenge is transforming Youth Sports by equipping coaches with the information and tools to create positive, inclusive environments that help young people build confidence, belonging, and life skills through sport. Learn more at www.MillionCoaches.org.

About the MCC Calls to Action

The MCC Calls to Action identify systemic barriers to quality coaching in the United States and recommend priorities for the youth sport field. The CTAs are the result of a collaborative, year-long process by the Million Coaches Challenge partners. 

About Susan Crown Exchange
The Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) is a grantmaking foundation with a mission to prepare youth to thrive in a rapidly changing world. SCE primarily supports non-profit organizations that promote social and emotional learning and youth well-being, explore the relationships between technology and society, and build critical skills through youth sports. What unites all SCE’s partners is their commitment to creating opportunities for young people. 

When we launched the Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) in 2021, our vision at the Susan Crown Exchange was both simple and bold: to transform the youth sports experience by training one million coaches in youth development practices.

We knew that behind every great sports moment is a coach supporting their athlete. And we knew that too often, coaches are asked to step into one of the most influential roles in a child’s life without the training, resources, or support they need.

So, we set a big goal, and today we are proud to share that the goal has been met. One million coaches have now been trained in youth development.

Why This Matters

Across the country, more than 38 million kids play organized sports every year. Sports can be a powerful force for confidence, resilience, belonging, and joy, but only when coaches are prepared to support kids as whole people.

Thanks to the Million Coaches Challenge and its 18 national and statewide partners:

• 1 million coaches have received training to help kids win on and off the field.
• 93% of trained coaches say they are more confident.
• 94% believe every coach would benefit from training.
• Athletes coached by MCC-trained coaches report more joy (67%), stronger friendships (63%), and a greater likelihood of staying in the game (71%).

These numbers are powerful. But behind them are countless stories: a coach who takes time to listen, a team that grows closer, a young person who chooses to stay in sports because they feel seen and supported.

This is what investing in coaches makes possible.

Gratitude for Our Partners

This milestone belongs to more than the Susan Crown Exchange. It belongs to the coaches who embraced new practices, the athletes and families who share their stories, and the 18 partner organizations who enthusiastically worked to train and equip coaches across every level of sport, including:

• The California Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-being
• The Center for Healing & Justice through Sport
• CoachUp! Washington
• Girls on the Run International
• How to Coach Kids
• Laureus Sport for Good USA
• LiFEsports at The Ohio State University and the Ohio High School Athletic Association
• Little League International
• MCC State Learning Cohort of Maryland, Indiana, and Kansas, facilitated by LiFEsports at The Ohio State University in partnership with the OHSAA
• National Recreation and Park Association 
• Positive Coaching Alliance
• U.S. Soccer Foundation
• United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
• USA Fencing, USA Triathlon, and USA Weightlifting

From community leagues to national associations, from state-led initiatives to local nonprofits, this was a collective effort. Together, we have proven that when the field unites around a bold vision, transformative change is possible.

What Comes Next

The milestone of one million coaches is not the end of the story, it is the beginning of the next chapter. Alongside this achievement, we are proud to launch two new resources to carry the work forward:

• A Practice Guide for Youth Coaches: 12 Coaching Strategies to Support Positive Youth Development — Practical, evidence-based strategies that every coach can use right away to strengthen the experience for kids.
• The Calls to Action: A Vision for Youth Sports Coaching in the United States — A shared vision for systemic change, spanning insights, narrative, organizational practice, and policy.

Together, these resources provide the tools and roadmap to make quality coaching the standard, not the exception.

And in early 2026, the final Implementation Study Report, authored by American Institutes for Research, will capture lessons learned, ensuring that the momentum of this movement translates into a blueprint for lasting impact.

Looking Ahead

At the Susan Crown Exchange, we believe that when we invest in coaches, we invest in kids, in communities, and in the future of sport.

The Million Coaches Challenge proves that large-scale, collective action is possible, and powerful. But there is more work ahead. We are grateful to the coaches, partners, and changemakers who made this milestone possible. And we are excited for what comes next, together.

Learn more about the Million Coaches Challenge, explore the Practice Guide, and read the Calls to Action: millioncoaches.org.

Coaching is one of the most powerful influences on a young athlete’s experience. A well-trained coach can build confidence, foster resilience, and create an environment where youth thrive—not just in sports, but in life. Yet, across the U.S., coaches remain under-supported, under-trained, and fragmented. The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) set out to change that.

Preliminary Findings from the MCC Implementation Study
New research from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) highlights the influence of coaches trained by MCC Partners and identifies critical next steps to strengthen the youth coaching system. 

Here’s what we’ve learned:

• Coach training works. 93% of coaches agreed training had an influence on building their confidence, and 94% believe all coaches would benefit from having foundational training in youth development-related practices.
• Athletes benefit too. Coaches reported improvements in athlete enjoyment, relationships, and retention, with 71% of coaches believing that their participation in training made athletes more likely to return.
• Momentum is building. The MCC Partners have trained 730,985 coaches—on track to reach 1 million by the end of 2025.

The MCC Partners are also aligning on what it means to be a “good” coach and setting a shared standard for youth development-focused coaching. Their collective efforts are shaping the future of coaching across the country.

Take Five: Recommendations for the Youth Sport Field

Despite this progress, challenges remain. The lack of a formal coaching system, limited resources, and outdated coaching mindsets make widespread change difficult. The MCC Partners have put forward a set of recommendations that span research, practice, and policy:

• Define, operationalize, and adopt a minimum standard or framework for what it means to be a “good” coach in the United States.
• Review trainings available in the field to ensure they reflect what it means to be a “good” and “trained” coach.
• Expand access to high-quality, comprehensive training.
• Build capacity for policy implementation, professionalize coaching, and change the narrative about coaching youth sport. 
• Develop a shared research-practice agenda and prioritize systematic, shared measurement efforts to understand the coaching landscape and document coach development and effectiveness.

We’re winning beyond the game—learn more about our efforts at: MillionCoaches.org/implementation-study/.

Teen mental health is under strain from growing pressures—achievement, appearance, social expectations—many of which are amplified by technology. Young Futures’ Under Pressure Cohort is tackling these challenges head-on.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Young Futures names their Under Pressure Cohort—10 bold, solutions-driven leaders making strides in improving youth mental health and the “always on” pressures teens face growing up in a hyper-digital world. These visionary changemakers, chosen from nearly 200 applicants, are advancing solutions such as digital and AI literacy education, and peer-to-peer support groups, helping pre-teens, teens, and their caregivers reclaim their mental wellbeing and confidently navigate adolescence.

Research from our collaborators, the Harvard School of Graduate Education’s Center for Digital Thriving (CDT), published by Common Sense Media, was instrumental in shaping the Under Pressure Challenge, highlighting how digital tension may amplify the pressures, or “grinds” young people face. 81% of American teens report experiencing pressure that makes them feel bad in at least one of six domains (game plans for the future, achievement, appearance, social life, friendships, and activism). Today’s pre-teens and teens navigate relentless pressures, which may be amplified by technology and social media. This open funding call sought solutions that alleviate these pressures, spark hope, and empower teens with the agency to navigate life on and offline in a digitally saturated world.

“Our nation’s future depends on the mental and emotional wellbeing of our young people. If we fail to address the weight of digital tension and the relentless pressures they face, we risk a generation overwhelmed by stress, robbed of their potential to lead, create, and innovate,” said Young Futures Executive Director Katya Hancock. “This is not just about individual lives—it’s about the collective future of America. That’s why we are proud to support this exceptional cohort of visionaries who are tackling these challenges head-on. By equipping young people with the resilience and tools to thrive in today’s complex digital landscape, we ensure they have the foundation to build a stronger, healthier society for all of us.”

Meet the Innovators:

• Anahita Dalmia – Agents of Influence: Created during her senior year of college and the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agents of Influence offers a gamified solution to help the next generation make informed and responsible decisions in a world where misinformation and disinformation distort our reality.
• Carolyn Gan – California Partners Project: Passionate about driving lasting change, Carolyn helps caregivers support the teens in their lives with research-backed and culturally sensitive resources.
• Arielle Geismar – Design It For Us: At just 16, Arielle gained national recognition for organizing 10,000 students to protest gun violence and has since led impactful campaigns and shaped policies in technology, mental health, and youth rights. At Design It For Us, she co-leads work advocating for safer social media and online platforms for kids, teens, and young adults.
• Juliana Lozano – Despierta: Drawing from her own experiences with therapy and as a first-generation college graduate, Juliana founded Despierta to provide culturally responsive care for Latinas, particularly for immigrant and first-generation communities.
• Michael “Mike” Fauteux – GiveThx: With over two decades of experience as an educator dedicated to advancing equity, Mike applies gratitude science in this digital program to bolster student and educator wellbeing and social-emotional skills.
• Valerie Grison-Alsop – Give Us The Floor: Inspired by the cultural and identity struggles she faced growing up, Valerie combines her career expertise in media and advertising, background in science, and empathy as a mother to create research-based solutions that provide safe and accessible online peer support for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth nationwide.
• Samin Bhan – Lookupp: Nationally recognized for his work reshaping the future of social connection at the intersection of technology and research, Samin co-founded Lookupp in high school with his brother, Atiksh, offering a solution that encourages communities to “look up” from their phones and be rewarded for engaging face-to-face with those around them.
• Madeline “Maddie” Freeman – NoSo: At just 24, Maddie was named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, recognized for her work as founder and CEO of NoSo, a digital wellness nonprofit helping teens around the world find a healthy tech/life balance.
• Regisha “Reggie” Rijkaard – Pause 4 Peace Foundation: From giving her weekly allowance to homeless individuals as a child to establishing a reading center for underserved children in the Philippines as a teen, Reggie has committed her life to uplifting marginalized communities through education and mindfulness. As the leader of Pause 4 Peace, a global movement, she is influencing the next generation of influencers to navigate the digital world mindfully.
• Michelle Culver – Rithm Project: Having been at the forefront of human flourishing for over two decades, and with experience as an educator and leader building Teach for America’s first national program, Michelle launched the Rithm Project to empower young people to rebuild and evolve human connection in the age of AI.

Over the next five months, this cohort will join the Young Futures Academy, where they’ll receive one-on-one mentorship, participate in expert-led Masterclasses, join a unique peer community, and gain essential skills in storytelling, communications, strategic planning, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership. In addition, the cohort will come together in March for the Young Futures Innovators Retreat in Pescadero, California, to build meaningful relationships with their peers, the YF Team, and YF Faculty. This cohort will be part of the growing YF 500: A collaborative funding initiative by Young Futures introduced in the 2024 Impact Report, which will power 500 YF Innovators over the next five years—scaling impact and driving lasting systemic change for youth across America.

“We’re thrilled to welcome this incredible cohort of YF Innovators to the Young Futures Academy,” said Sierra Malia Fox-Woods, program manager at Young Futures. “Throughout the Academy, they’ll have the time and space to reflect on their work, refine their vision, and connect with an amazing and growing community of like-minded social impact leaders, knowing they’re not alone in the challenges they face as leaders dedicated to helping young people thrive.”

The journey is just beginning for this cohort, and the powerful transformations that will emerge from this dynamic group of visionaries will shape the futures of tomorrow’s leaders.

For more information about the Under Pressure Cohort and Young Futures, please visit https://www.youngfutures.org/innovators/.

About Young Futures

Young Futures (YF) is a nonprofit seeking to make the digital world an easier place to grow up. YF provides a social compass for teens and families navigating the tech-driven world by supporting emerging nonprofits working tirelessly to help young people and their families not just survive but flourish as a team when navigating the uncertainties of the digital wilderness. Young Futures is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Its principal sponsors include Pivotal Ventures, Susan Crown Exchange, and The Goodness Web.

Media Contact
Brooke Messaye, Young Futures, 1 (323) 240-6653, brooke@youngfutures.org | https://www.youngfutures.org/

2025 Cohort will be backed by $2.4 million in funding to shape a safer digital ecosystem

February 5, 2025 — Today, the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) announced $2.4 million in funding to support 18 youth and intergenerationally-led organizations working to create a safer and more equitable digital ecosystem. This is RTYPF’s second year of investing in the youth-led responsible technology movement, and its newest cohort arrives at a crucial moment, bringing innovative solutions and fresh perspectives to enhance the future of online safety. 2025 grantees will use grant funding to advance work across a variety of issues, including tech accountability, youth mental health, responsible AI, and technology-based climate solutions.  

The 2025 cohort includes young advocates responsible for raising awareness of the Kids Online Safety Act and censorship of women’s health ads and information on social media platforms, and four individuals recognized by Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for their work across social media and AI. In a first, the fund is led by an intergenerational steering committee that spearheads strategic planning, grantee selection and programming decisions. RTYPF’s Young Leader Advisors (YLA) are key decision-makers, differentiating this grantmaking approach as youth-led and youth-driven. 

“As a generation raised by technology, we believe that young people are essential to building a more responsible and humane technology future,” said YLA grantee Trisha Prabhu, Founder and President of ReThink Citizens, “We have a unique perspective shaped by growing up in a digital world – and that drives our commitment to creating a better, more responsible tech ecosystem for us, our peers, and future generations.” 

“We’re proud of RTYPF’s innovative model, which empowers young people to make meaningful decisions about grantee funding and support,” said Yoelle Gulko, Director of documentary film Our Subscription to Addiction, “This inter-generational approach not only unlocks new opportunities for grantees – it helps young people become leaders in the movement for a more ethical tech landscape.”

The fund’s grantees are receiving between $50,000 and $125,000 in one-year grants, which were allocated based on capacity and funding needs. The 18 organizations joining Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund’s second cohort are:

• AI Consensus (Young Leader Advisor grantee), is a student movement working to transform education through the responsible use of AI. Their mission is anchored in empowering students and engagement across stakeholders.
• Center for Intimacy Justice (renewal grantee) is a nonprofit changing tech platforms’ discriminatory suppression of women’s health information online. They lead investigations, legal actions, and multi-pronged media and advocacy strategies to change biased tech practices that censor women’s health.
• Cyber Collective’s Internet Street Smarts program (renewal grantee) is revolutionizing digital safety education through a culturally relevant, engaging approach that speaks directly to Gen Z and historically marginalized communities. 
• Decifer Studio (new grantee) is a research and design studio leveraging creative technology and storytelling to demystify the socio-political workings and impact of technology, for and with the public.
• Design It For Us (renewal grantee) is a youth-led coalition advocating for safer online platforms and social media. They aim to drive and achieve key policy reforms to protect kids, teens, and young adults online through the mobilization of youth activists, leaders, and voices. 
• Encode (renewal grantee) is a coalition of youth activists and change makers fighting for human rights, accountability, and justice in artificial intelligence. Harnessing a global network of volunteers from all over the United States and world, they champion informed AI policy and encourage youth to confront the challenges of the age of automation through political advocacy, community organizing, educational programming, and content creation.
• Generation Patient (Young Leader Advisor grantee) represents adolescents and young adults with chronic conditions across the United States and internationally. They focus on peer support, advocacy, and access to educational information and resources as fundamental pathways to empowerment.  
• #HalfTheStory (renewal grantee) is the pioneering non-profit on a mission to empower the next generation’s relationship with technology through research, education, and advocacy. 
• Innovation For Everyone (new grantee) is building a youth-led AI ethics literacy movement by sparking nuanced conversations about AI from the classroom to the board room to equip the public, and especially youth, to think critically about the sociotechnical impacts of AI and their role in re-envisioning a more equitable and just digital world.
• The Los Altos Institution‘s (new grantee) mission is to give youth around the world the opportunity to conduct academic research, regardless of their socioeconomic status. They connect students to research professionals and fund their projects in order to help develop the thinkers of tomorrow.
• Our Subscription to Addiction (Young Leader Advisor grantee) is a documentary that captures a young filmmaker’s raw and vulnerable experience with phone addiction. After hitting rock bottom down the YouTube rabbit hole, she is determined to repair her relationship with her phone and reclaim her life by finding her voice in a growing youth-led digital well-being movement.
• Paragon Policy Fellowship (new grantee) provides college students with real policy experience while building tech capacity for state and local governments.
• People’s Public Lab (new grantee) is bridging the gap between research and community through their community-led projects that empower and amplify people who have faced historical and systematic oppression, displacement and other forms of social injustice.
• ReThink Citizens (Young Leader Advisor grantee) leads with a mission to tackle cyberbullying and foster digital literacy by equipping all youth with the tools and education they need to safely take on today’s digital world.
• Rooted Futured Lab’s (new grantee) mission is to address the systemic neglect and exclusion of environmental justice in technology development and application.
• Seek Common Ground (Young Leader Advisor grantee) and its Student Action Network for Equity supports student organizers advancing democracy, racial justice, and education equity. 
• trubel&co (pronounced “trouble and co”) (new grantee) is a tech-justice nonprofit that recruits, trains, and mobilizes the next generation to tackle social and environmental challenges using data, design, and technology.
• Young People’s Alliance Education Fund (renewal grantee) empowers young people through student-led organizing and advocacy. Their student advocates work at colleges across North Carolina, state legislatures, and on Capitol Hill to amplify youth voices.

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About the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF): The Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund is a first-of-its-kind philanthropic initiative aimed at supporting youth and intergenerationally led organizations shaping the responsible technology movement. The Fund, now in its second year, has raised over $4.5 million to support 501(c)3 eligible public charities, with award amounts ranging from $50,000 to $125,000, depending on the organization’s stage and funding needs. Learn more about the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund and the 2025 cohort at: www.rtyouthpower.org.

The organizations partnering to invest in the fund are Omidyar Network, Hopelab, Susan Crown Exchange, The Archewell Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Carmel Hill Fund, Enlight Foundation, AI Collaborative, Oak Foundation, Pinterest, Pivotal, and Reynolds Lookup Fund. 

CONTACT: rtyouthpowerfund@evergreenstrategygroup.com