Yakima Valley Youth Direct $100,000 Toward Community Impact

Every year, members of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation's Youth Leadership Council (YLC) take on a unique responsibility: deciding how $100,000 in grant funding can make the greatest impact in our community.

It's a process that begins long before grants are awarded.

Throughout the year, local high school students learn about philanthropy, explore community challenges, discuss local needs, and work together to identify the issues they believe deserve attention. This year's council selected three funding priorities—Basic Needs, Education, and Mental Health—before reviewing applications from organizations across Yakima County.

After thoughtful discussion and evaluation, the Youth Leadership Council recommended $100,000 in grant funding to six organizations whose programs align with those priorities.

"One of the most powerful aspects of the Youth Leadership Council is that young people are trusted to make meaningful decisions about philanthropy," said Mayra Quintero, Grants & Programs Associate at the Yakima Valley Community Foundation. "Throughout this process, students took a thoughtful look at the challenges facing their communities and identified areas where they believe resources can make a meaningful difference. These grants reflect what local youth see, experience, and care about."

2026 Youth Leadership Council Grant Recipients

This year's grant recipients include:

• United Way of Central Washington — $10,000 to support the Fresh Start Program, providing essential household items for individuals and families transitioning into stable housing.
• Wapato High School Robotics and Engineering Club — $10,000 to support participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition, giving students hands-on experience in engineering, leadership, and project management.
• Union Gap School — $10,000 to expand the Green Thumb Program, where students grow food, develop agricultural skills, and connect classroom learning with real-world experiences.
• Mockingbird Society — $25,000 to support youth with lived experience in foster care and homelessness through leadership development, career exploration, and professional skill-building opportunities.
• Heartlinks Hospice & Palliative Care — $20,000 to expand grief and crisis response services for schools and communities experiencing sudden or traumatic loss.
• NAMI Yakima — $25,000 to support youth mental health awareness and suicide prevention initiatives throughout Yakima County.

Together, these grants reflect the priorities local youth identified as most important to the health and future of their communities. They support programs that help meet immediate needs while creating opportunities for young people and families to thrive.

Learning Philanthropy Through Action

The Youth Leadership Council is more than a grantmaking program. It provides students with firsthand experience in leadership, civic engagement, and philanthropy.

Council members learn how to evaluate community needs, review grant applications, discuss differing perspectives, and make thoughtful funding recommendations. In doing so, they develop skills that extend far beyond the grantmaking process while gaining a deeper understanding of how local philanthropy strengthens communities.

Made possible through the Helen Jewett Youth Endowment Fund, the program continues Helen Jewett's vision of investing in future generations. Her annual $50,000 bequest is matched each year by the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, creating $100,000 in annual funding that local students direct toward causes they believe will strengthen the Yakima Valley.

Congratulations to this year's Youth Leadership Council grant recipients, and thank you to every organization that applied for your continued commitment to serving our communities. We look forward to seeing the impact these investments will have throughout Yakima County.