Prospective Grantee FAQ's

We are not accepting new grantee applications at this moment. We will begin the search for new grantees in Spring 2024 and funding will begin in 2025. To be the first to know when our grant application will go live, email info@sparkyouthnyc.org to be added to our prospective member email list. To ensure an equitable process, we are not accepting phone calls or meetings to discuss funding at this time.

Only organizations that meet all of the following criteria are eligible. Organizations must:

• Have as their primary mission the provision of direct services to low‐income children or teens for a period of time sufficient to enhance education or life skills and constitute a life‐transforming activity;
• Have an operating budget between $150,000 and $1.5 million per fiscal year;
• Be a certified 501(c)3 non‐profit organization;
• Be independent and not a subsidiary or branch of a national organization, unless they are a wholly independent program;
• Be located and operate within New York City;
• Have been founded between 2014 (under 10 years old at application) and 2022 and remained in continuous operation;
• Be working toward expanding the programing services either within the population served, or to include new populations of young people.

While SparkYouth NYC appreciates the struggles all organizations face as they launch new programming, our mandate is to support and bolster emerging organizations with a primary focus on youth. An application from an organization over ten years old and/or with a budget over $1.5 million will be disqualified.

Because SparkYouth NYC raises funds each year from its supporters to distribute to the member organizations, the actual amount distributed varies from year to year, but has recently been in the range of $55,000‐75,000 per calendar year. We are unable to guarantee a particular grant amount year to year.

Yes. However, as a result of our requirement that organizations be under 10 years old at the time of application and our 3 year funding period, organizations generally only have the opportunity to apply twice.

SparkYouth grantee organizations become a part of a cohort of innovative NYC nonprofits that receive 3 years of unrestricted funding, capacity-building support tailored to each organization’s needs (ie strategic planning, leadership coaching, Board support, fundraising training), and access to networking opportunities with the SparkYouth community. We are thrilled to offer this support, and in return, we ask that our grantees are active participants in the cohort and use the opportunities provided to strengthen their organizations.