Family Philanthropy Playbook for Community Foundations

Unit 5: Youth and Successor Generations

Community foundations support successor generations’ philanthropic journeys through peer-to-peer programs and through intergenerational programs. Those successors could be children, teens, and/or young adults. Use examples in this unit to inspire your own programs.

TUNE-IN (60 minutes): Topical Call—Youth Grantmaking Models [members only]

Staff from the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and Legacy Fund (a CICF affiliate) discuss their youth grantmaking models and how they fit into a broader philanthropic services portfolio.

BORROW AND ADAPT: Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Models [members only]

There are almost 400 youth grantmaking, youth advisory board, and youth philanthropy programs at community foundations and similar organizations in the U.S. and Canada. The Foundation Center’s YouthGiving.org Program Directory is searchable by geography, host type, depth of involvement, and ages involved. NCFP has collected a few examples from our subscribing community foundations and TPI’s 2006-2008 Excellence in Family Philanthropy program:

Foundation for the MetroWest – Igniting the Spark Case Study (middle and high schoolers)
Greater Atlanta Community Foundation – Igniting the Spark Case Study; Planet Philanthropy brochure (ages 9-15); PhilanthropyATL guide (resource for parents)
Greater Houston Community Foundation – Camp Philanthropy (ages 10-14)
Greater Worcester Community Foundation – Igniting the Spark Case Study (high schoolers)
Rose Community Foundation – Rose Youth Foundation (teens)
Seattle Foundation – Youth Grantmaking Board (high schoolers)
The Boston Foundation – Kids Philanthropy Program (ages 10 and up)
The Oregon Community Foundation – Community 101 (school-based program with small grants)
The Philadelphia Foundation – Igniting the Spark Case Study (high schoolers)
Women’s Fund of Central Indiana (a CICF fund) – GO program (grades 1-12)

TUNE-IN (60 minutes): Spark Session—Models of Community Foundation Programs for Engaging Next Gen Donors [members only]

In this 2015 webinar, you’ll learn details about two programs that serve young adults and successor advisors: The Minneapolis Foundation’s 4th Generation program and the Greater Houston Community Foundation’s Next Gen Donor Institute.

BORROW AND ADAPT: Community Foundation Young Adult Program Samples [members only]

A few community foundations provide philanthropy education programs for young adults. Community foundations in Houston and Minneapolis provided examples in this folder.

TUNE-IN (60 minutes): Topical Call—Successor Advisors Topical Call [members only]

In this 2018 topical call, staff from Foundation for the Carolinas and Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta shared insights on working with successor generations of fund advisors.

TUNE-IN (57 minutes): Topical Call—Engaging Youth and Children [members only]

Anita Wesley, Senior Philanthropic Advisor at the Rose Community Foundation, and Susan Price, author and field expert, shared tools and perspectives on engaging children in your giving.