How Does Your Donation Help?
YPI is an inclusive, multi-award-winning approach to grant-making. YPI grows compassionate communities by connecting high school students to social issues, local charities, and philanthropy at a pivotal stage in their stage in their adolescence.
Support the transformative power of student-led giving.
Directing much needed funding to local charities in need
Twelve Mile Coulee School
Every year, across Canada, tens of thousands of high school students complete YPI’s curriculum.
They advocate for hundreds of local charities in their communites, challenging stigma, changing behaviours, and directing grants and critical support for millions of people in need across the country.
Putting power in the hands of youth
YPI is a lever for transformative philanthropy by valuing and promoting voices of youth
“There is power in advocacy; there is power in awareness; there is power in people. Young people can be philanthropic through their actions and their engagement. Directing funds to charitable organizations and those with immediate needs— through the engagement of youth is the mission of YPI. Students becoming passionate about an issue and compassionate towards those in need… that is what YPI is about—helping young people do more for their communities and the causes that they care about.”
Using YPI's unique school-based platform
YPI’s curriculum is offered to secondary schools, with some imperative enrolment requirements: it must be provided inclusively to all students across an entire grade level, it must be implemented with a mandatory course and educators must be willing to support and assist students visit to charities in their communities.
Students are given authentic responsibility and decision-making power throughout the entire YPI process.
Teams research, prepare, and deliver a presentation on their chosen charity and speak to the impact the $5,000 grant would have on those in need at that charity.
Finalists go on to present again before their school, guests and a panel of judges. The team with the most compelling presentation is awarded a $5,000 grant to direct to their charity.
Impacting charities, youths, schools and our partners
Impact
Across Canada Since 2002
More Than
directed to local charities
Over
directed to local charities
Over
developed positive attitudes towards civic engagement
“The contribution YPI has made to young people, philanthropy, education and communities continues to be a stunning achievement. We’ve identified their work as a leading best practice and scalable solution in a growing field worldwide.”
Jen Bokoff
Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Candid, USA
The need of communities has never been greater
Unprecedented challenges, essential responses
In these challenging times, economic vulnerability is increasing across communities in Canada. Nonprofits are at the heart of communities to accelerate a resilient post- pandemic recovery.
The power of scalability and efficiency
YPI’s model stands out for its ability to scale quickly, championing impactful resource allocation.
The survival of charitable sector at stake
Bruce McDonald of Imagine Canada highlights the potential collapse of major parts of the charitable sector, given its sharper decline compared to the 2008 recession, coupled with increased service demand.
Your role is vital to resilient communities
Your contribution is crucial to fortify communities and nurture young leaders. By donating, you enhance the sector’s resilience.
YPI: Two decades of impactful, student-led giving
Youth and Philanthropy Initiative’s (YPI) student-led giving approach has been directing resources effectively for two decades, nurturing future social impact leaders.
Stand with us, stand for our communities
With the pressing needs of communities, it’s time to unite for a more resilient Canada. Help us ensure the charitable sector not only endures but flourishes.
YPI's approach to change
We have tailored our effort based on the Theory of Change, a rigorous model used in the philanthropic sector to catalyze social transformation.
By defining long-term goals and tracing backwards to identify essential preconditions, we have crafted a roadmap for creating meaningful, sustainable change in our communities.
INPUTS
We draw upon various resources to fuel our mission, including financial contributions, the dedication of our team and volunteers, strategic partnerships with schools, and curriculum resources that ensure our program’s effective integration.
ACTIVITIES
Our primary activities center around collaborating with schools to weave the YPI program into their curriculum. We guide students to select, research, and engage with local charities, culminating in student presentations and the allocation of the $5,000 grant to the chosen charity of the winning team.
OUTPUTS
These immediate results include the number of students actively participating, the volume of participating schools, the local charities researched and engaged by students, and the charities that receive our $5,000 grants.
OUTCOMES
These short-to-medium term effects include the growth in students’ understanding of philanthropy, local charities, and their community, as well as the honing of public speaking, research, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the impact of the $5,000 grants on recipient charities forms a crucial part of our outcomes.
IMPACT
Our long-term vision is to foster a lifelong culture of philanthropy among students, strengthen local charities, enrich communities through the work of these charities, and ultimately create more equitable, resilient communities.
We aim to provide potential donors with a compelling narrative of how their support can translate into tangible, meaningful change, adding momentum to our drive towards more empathetic and resilient communities.
Invest in communities. Invest in students. Invest in philanthropy.
Invest in Our Present: Building a Foundation for Change
Your investment in YPI is an investment in the here and now, in a present where each contribution serves as a stepping stone towards a brighter future. Your donation empowers our team to connect with more schools, engage more students, and thereby benefit more local charities. Each dollar directly fuels our mission to educate, inspire, and empower youth through philanthropy, initiating a ripple effect of social change that begins in classrooms and expands into communities.
Invest in Scaling Up: Amplifying Impact Through Growth
YPI’s model is designed to be scalable, enabling us to expand our reach quickly and cost efficiently. Your contribution will accelerate this growth, allowing us to serve more communities and ultimately touch more lives. With your support, we can scale our unique student-led giving model, multiplying its impact. Your investment becomes an integral part of a growing movement that nurtures a culture of philanthropy and empowers young leaders across the country.
Invest in an Ambitious Future: Envisioning a Better Tomorrow
Your support of YPI is not just an investment in our present and our growth; it’s a commitment to a shared vision of a more compassionate, more resilient Canada. Through your investment, you help us foster a lifelong culture of philanthropy among students, strengthen local charities, and ultimately enrich communities. You are partnering with us in the creation of a future where every young person is equipped to contribute to their community’s wellbeing and every charity has the resources to serve its purpose. Together, we can make this ambitious future a reality.
Letter from the Executive Director
As the Executive Director of the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), I’m excited to share our vision of empowering young philanthropists and strengthening local charities, and invite you to be a part of it.
YPI, for over two decades, has been nurturing young changemakers through a hands-on program that not only funds local charities but also inspires students to drive positive change.
Each $5,000 grant we offer balances youth empowerment and essential support to a local charity, creating dual benefits from your generous contribution.
We aspire to expand our program to more Canadian schools, both public and private, and this vision relies on support from donors like you.
When you donate to YPI, you’re investing in our future leaders and supporting local charities that make a real difference.
Please consider contributing to YPI. Your support will directly impact our students, local charities, and communities, and aid us in widening our reach.
Thank you for considering this opportunity. We’re excited about the possibility of partnering with you for lasting change.
Support YPI by making a donation today
