Apply for The Under Pressure Funding Challenge

Drawing upon learnings from the Youth Listening Tour, partners and experts across the youth wellbeing ecosystem, and in collaboration with the Center for Digital Thriving, the Under Pressure Challenge is a $1 million commitment and open funding call for early-stage organizations and/or solutions focused on alleviating the pressures teen feel growing-up in a tech driven world.

The Under Pressure Challenge is sponsored by Pivotal Ventures, the Susan Crown Exchange, and The Goodness Web. It is the second of several high-need thematic challenges that Young Futures will issue over the next few years. All challenges seek to help (pre)teens ages 10-19 thrive in a tech-driven world.

Up to 10 grant recipients, aka Young Futures Innovators (YF Innovators), will join the Young Futures Academy, a five-month program designed to help level-up their organization and amplify their impact.

Funding Information

Young Futures anticipates awarding up to ten organizations, one-year grants for a total of up to $1 million.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be:

• Be based in the U.S. and registered as a non-profit with 501(c)(3) or tax-exempt status under fiscal sponsorship.
• Submit an application, and all written and verbal correspondence in English.
• No use of funds to support lobbying.
• Have a proven track record of understanding and successfully addressing the needs of their community.
• Designate an individual leader who is coachable, self-aware and collaborative and will commit to fully participating in the Young Futures Academy (~10 hours a month).
• Be able to articulate how they address the digital tension (pre)teens today feel (i.e., How does your organization make it easier to grow up in the digital world, and how does it ease the pressure (pre)teens feel as they do?
• Engage youth in the design, execution, and evaluation of its solution(s) and has minor protection policies in lace.
• Be able to articulate their impact in significantly easing the pressures of growing up in a digital world.
• Are seeking to scale. Candidates are beyond the point of testing and require support, community, and learning to grow and scale their solution(s) beyond its initial use or location within the next two years. Alternatively, grantseekers could apply for a new project within an established organization.

For more information, visit Young Futures.