The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties announced that its Forward Turn Youth Philanthropy Project provided $4,000 in mini-grants to five local nonprofit organizations to fund youth-led and youth-benefitting projects.

Forward Turn is youth-led charitable grantmaking program that takes a “forward turn” to benefit communities in Loudoun and Fauquier Counties. In partnership with the Loudoun County Youth Advisory Council (YAC), student members of the YAC review grant applications submitted by youth who often work in partnership with local nonprofits, schools, or other organizations. Funding is provided by the S. Murray and Mary H.C. Rust Student Philanthropy Project endowment fund of the Community Foundation.

High schoolers and Youth Advisory Council members Nikitha Raju, Hailey Chan, Charles Brumskine, Pierson Lee, Taylor Grande, Monica Goswami, Ellie Vander Heyden, Hyeyong Caitlyn Jeon, Jaden McCarney, and Sunny Chen served on the Forward Turn Grants Committee.

After learning about the grant proposal process, reviewing applications, and interviewing applicants, they recommended the following grants for the 2024 Forward Turn grant cycle:

  • $500 to Loudoun Youth to support their program to empower youth by connecting them with local volunteer opportunities
  • $500 to Loudoun County Magazine to support Loudoun Youth Poet Laureate
  • $500 to Princess Packages to support craft kits for children in homeless shelters and hospitals, made by high school volunteers
  • $1,000 to Ryan Bartel Foundation to support a peer-led, teen mental wellness support group in Loudoun County
  • $1,500 to Dulles South Food Pantry to support their Backpack Buddies program to fight childhood food insecurity in Loudoun County

“I really love learning about new nonprofits and the impact these grants will have in our community,” said Nikitha Raju, eleventh grader at John Champe High School and member of the Youth Advisory Council.

To learn more about Forward Turn and to see a list of past years’ recipients, visit: https://communityfoundationlf.org/forwardturn/.