About Youth Service America
We’re on a mission to make working together for the common good the common expectation and common experience of every young person in America.
Focus Areas
Youth developmentCivic engagement and voter educationVolunteering and serviceService-learningYouth leadership and capacity buildingHunger relief (youth grants/programs)
Who They Fund
youth and adolescentslocal community-based youth organizationsvolunteers and volunteer groupsgeographically defined communities/service zones
Funding Style
programmatic/grantmaking (project-specific)
About Youth Service America
Youth Service America channels most of its grantmaking into youth-led service, civic participation, and volunteer mobilization, with a pattern that reaches from small youth grants to larger lead-agency awards. In the recent grants list, the two largest amounts went to broad internal grant lines in Washington, DC, while named partners received funding for state and local service infrastructure across the country. The foundation’s programs repeatedly connect young people to national days of service, including Youth Service Month, Global Youth Service Day, MLK Day of Service, and 9/11 service activities. The organization also uses grants to support youth leadership and community organizing models. Examples include a $22,500 award to GenerationNation in Charlotte for National Days of Service Lead Agency Grant and Youth Service Zone Grant work, and a $20,500 award to My Sister’s Keeper in Highland Park for the same combined purpose. Other grants support volunteer centers, schools, civic education groups, and youth-development organizations that host service activities or train young people to lead them. Across the grant list, Youth Service America funds only U.S. recipients.
What Youth Service America Funds
Youth Service America supports several linked cause areas rather than a single program silo. In civic engagement, it gave $14,000 to Young Women’s Preparatory Network in El Paso for National Days of Service Lead Agency Grant and 50by250 Lead Organizer Grant work, and $10,000 to Norte Vista High School in Riverside for a National Days of Service Lead Agency Grant. Its service-learning work shows up in youth-serving institutions and local intermediaries. The foundation awarded $19,500 to Perry Local Schools in Perry for a Youth Service Zone Grant, and $19,500 to Volunteer Center of South Jersey in Sewell for the same grant type. Youth voice and leadership also appear in program-specific youth grants. The Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants support awareness, service, philanthropy, youth voice, leadership, and advocacy events during Youth Service Month and Global Youth Service Day, with awards of $250, $500, or $1,000.
How Youth Service America Gives
Youth Service America’s typical grant size sits in a narrow band: the 25th percentile is $7,250, the median is $9,000, and the 75th percentile is $12,875. The recent grants list also shows a mix of larger lead-agency awards and smaller local grants, including recurring program lines such as Youth Service Zone, 50by250 Lead Organizer, and National Days of Service grants. Some recipients appear in multiple years, including the United Way of Genesee County, which received grants in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation funds individuals through recognition and youth awards as well as organizational grants. It also accepts unsolicited applications for some named programs, including Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grants, We Serve to Remember 9/11 Day of Service Grants, and Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$517K
Total Assets
$861K
Total Revenue
$2.4M
Total Expenses
$3.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $7K and $13K, with a median of $9K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$9K
75th Percentile
$13K
Geographic Reach
National28 states funded
About 3% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Steven A Culbertson
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