Click here to listen to the recent KQED program on youth and Adventure Education.
During 2011, FYI helped manage the Stewardship Council’s grantmaking program by guiding the grantmaking review and recommending grant awards. All final grant award decisions, however, were made by the Stewardship Council.
In September 2011, the Stewardship Council board awarded a $2.1 million grant to the Foundation for Youth Investment to fully administer the 2012 grantmaking program. Therefore, beginning January 1, 2012, FYI will be responsible for the solicitation, application, review, and approval of all 2012 grant awards, including the Catalyst, Impact, and Infrastructure Funds. Grant seekers will seek funding through FYI, and the application process will remain very similar to the Stewardship Council’s process. Outdoor Trips Fund and Strategic Initiatives Fund
FYI also manages two additional grant funds that were awarded by the Stewardship Council to FYI in December 2010. The Outdoor Trips Fund will provide small grants for transportation, substitute teacher time, and other essential costs so that students can connect with the outdoors.
The Strategic Initiatives Fund addresses many of the barriers that are preventing underserved youth from experiencing nature and the outdoors. Through this funding, FYI has convened a wide array of youth providers to design an Outdoor Educators Institute (OEI) that will generate a pool of certified, qualified, competent, and culturally relevant outdoor instructors. This is an exciting initiative that will transform the leadership of outdoor programs. In the near- to mid-term, the OEI initiative will help diversify the outdoor instructor corps, while in the long-term it will help create future generations of land stewards that reflect California’s diverse population.