The Polk Bros. Foundation seeks to nurture and elevate the civic leadership and brilliance that they know abundant among young people across Chicago’s neighborhoods by supporting youth-led collective action initiatives that address specific issues of significance to young
Chicagoans.
Donor Name: Polk Bros. Foundation
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/05/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Goals
This funding opportunity is intended to support near-term progress while laying the groundwork for sustained impact. Within the grant period, projects should demonstrate measurable progress and early indicators of impact, while contributing to longer-term systems change and asset-building in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Through this funding opportunity, short-term outcomes may include:
- Engaged youth across multiple stages of the power-building continuum with increase in number involved, knowledge gained on the issue, and leadership responsibility
- Increased participation and leadership of youth in civic activities
- Strengthened trust between youth and decision-makers to support sustained civic engagement and collective action aimed at addressing a social issue impacting community
- Demonstrated increase in civic knowledge by youth and directly impacted community members, leading to sustained engagement (e.g., changes in local decision-making structures, policy processes, avenues for influence)
Over time, this work is intended to contribute towards the following outcomes:
- Increased presence of youth-led and youth-informed platforms to amplify community issues, build awareness, and drive advocacy
- Expanded feedback loops between youth, community members and decision-makers leading to more responsive, collaborative, and accountable governance
- Increased access to and utilization of third spaces that foster youth and community connection, civic engagement and identity, leadership development, and pathways for collective action
- Increased youth-led efforts influencing policy, systemic practices, institutional norms, and resource access and allocation locally and citywide
- Increased representation of youth (especially from historically excluded communities) in decision-making and community impacting spaces
- Increased youth-led efforts that shape and change policies and practices addressing root causes of social issues, leading to safer neighborhoods, increased access to resources, and stronger, more connected communities.
Priority Activities
This RFP seeks to provide support to organizations that take one or more of the following specific approaches to their work:
- Providing immediate intervention by offering youth-centered mutual aid efforts or other youth-informed social services
- Strengthening community power and influence through youth-led community organizing efforts, non-lobbying policy and advocacy efforts, and expanding opportunities to collaborate with other sectors to share resources, build partnerships and increase programming
- Facilitating community innovation by expanding opportunities to pilot efforts that test new civic engagement approaches, learning from youth, and scaling youth-led, power-building initiatives
- Building an ecosystem of systems change by advancing activities aligned with the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing’s (FCYO) Power to Win framework which centers youth voice, agency and self-determination, such as youth representation in coalition leadership and decision-making roles
Funding Information
Grants will support programs and operations and range from $50,000 to $75,000.
Grant Period
1 year
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered eligible for funding under this RFP, organizations must be:
- A nonprofit organization that has been determined and is currently recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt public charity described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, that is not a private foundation described in Section 509(a) or a supporting organization described in Section 509(a)(3), and that operates exclusively for charitable/educational purposes
- Based in and primarily serve Chicago residents
- Place youth in meaningful, decision-making roles within the organization’s governance structure
- Lead work that falls within one or more components of PBF’s Power-Building Continuum framework
- Demonstrate the ability to build and maintain active coalitions of young, next generation leaders
- Demonstrate viability of financial sustainability plan and how further support will be leveraged
- Use funds solely for charitable purposes
For more information, visit Polk Bros. Foundation.
