The Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund was initially made possible by the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and was led by School’s Out Washington working closely with the Washington State Department of Commerce. This investment addresses the financial and programmatic challenges that have come with COVID-19—acknowledging that lost revenue combined with increased expenses to adhere to new safety measures, leave many organizations at risk of closing their programs or sites. A total of $9.4 million was awarded in fall 2020 and an additional $4.8 million in spring 2021 to a subset of organizations who submitted applications the prior year.
View the list of fall 2020 awardees and spring 2021 awardees.
The Washington State Department of Commerce chose to work with School’s Out Washington because of our field expertise, equity lens, grant-making experience, and capacity to lead a complex process on an unusually fast timeline. The process was designed to break down barriers to funding for grassroots organizations around the state that directly support BIPOC youth, youth in poverty, and other priority youth populations.
Fall 2020
The RFP was released on September 23, and over 600 applications were received by the deadline on October 6. The RFP was translated into 13 languages. Technical assistance was provided by contractors who partnered with the Department of Commerce to support applicants from every region in the state.
Peer reviewers from communities throughout Washington were recruited to read and score applications.
All reviewers were required to participate in anti-bias training and to examine the approach to application review, using the scoring rubric.
Spring 2021
In the spring of 2021, the Washington State Department of Commerce and School’s Out Washington worked together to allocate $4.8 million in additional funding to support investments in 223 youth development organizations/programs across Washington. The additional funds were awarded to a subset of organizations that submitted applications to the Washington Nonprofit Youth Development Relief Fund in the fall of 2020, in keeping with the priorities of the Relief Fund.
Learn more about the spring 2021 award process.
The COVID-19 outbreak, extended school closures, and social distancing have deepened inequities and hardships for young people across Washington. In response, youth development programs quickly adapted their services to provide supports for youth and families to whom they are deeply connected. Expanded or adapted offerings have included emergency childcare, social-emotional supports, academic mentoring, virtual programming, and basic needs supports. For many, these organizations have been a sustaining lifeline.
By providing access to essential services and pivoting to offer expanded learning opportunities online, they have helped ensure that children and young people remain safe, engaged and supported.
On average, 88% of youth served by awardees are in the Relief Fund’s priority populations (including BIPOC, LGBTQ, migrant/immigrant, youth experiencing homelessness and youth in poverty) and 48% report serving 100% priority youth.
Specifically:
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County (BGCSC) is to “enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” BGCSC was formed in 1946 and currently operates 26 clubs that serve over 29,000 youth in.
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