Launched in Dearborn, MI in 2011, the Teen Grant-Making Initiative (TGI) is a youth philanthropy and grant-making program, housed at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP), a project of ACCESS. TGI is the only Arab American youth philanthropy program in the country. This unique model teaches high school students about community issues, grant-making, nonprofit management, communication an
d compromise, and community leadership. With the assistance of adult advisors, the youth conduct their own needs assessment, set their own funding priorities, develop a Request for Proposals, review grant applications, and make the final decisions about which organizations and projects should receive funding. After grants are made, the youth conduct site visits to learn more about their grantees and to see firsthand how their funding is making an impact in the lives of youth in their area. TGI members meet throughout the school year, working together to create positive change in their community. In addition to the grant-making process, the youth must raise funds on an annual basis to support their grant-making. The youth set their own financial goal, develop a strategy for raising the needed funds, and then implement the strategy with the assistance of CAAP staff. During the first year, the group of 20 youth made grants of $4,600 to 12 organizations in the metro Detroit area. From a career fair for teen moms, to a youth-produced documentary on Detroit’s abandoned homes, to a program that trains teens to become docents for urban art projects, funding from TGI has made a real impact on local communities. In the current school year, the youth decided to focus their grant-making priorities on academic success and access to healthcare. This focus was determined after a careful review of the needs assessment and a discussion about issues impacting youth in the Detroit area. The youth have set a goal of raising $5,000 for grant-making in 2013. TGI is a powerful model that engages youth as leaders in creating change in their community. Youth are not only given the power of decision making, but they are learning valuable skills to become philanthropists, non-profit leaders and community activists in the future. In recognition of their impact and achievements, TGI recently received the Sparky Anderson Award for Youth in Philanthropy from the Detroit chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Founded in 2006, CAAP is the only national, full-service philanthropic institution in the Arab American community. Its aim is to develop, support and enhance a culture of giving within the community through education, asset-building and grant-making. CAAP is dedicated to building a legacy of giving in the Arab American community, shaping the future of our society through the collective power of our philanthropy and empowering the community to be change-makers and community-builders. By supporting and celebrating Arab American philanthropy, CAAP helps Arab Americans leverage their giving in support of the issues, causes and organizations we care passionately about, while strengthening the voice of Arab Americans in civil society.
