Youth-Led Social Justice Mini-Grant

In April 2021, the City of Seattle committed $1.5 million to supportive programs and initiatives that address hate crimes and bias aimed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community in Seattle. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) allocated $100K toward Seattle youth as grants to fund projects that focus on issues of racism, discrimination, and bias.   

The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is thrilled to open this opportunity and accept applications for the Youth-Led Social Justice Mini-Grant. This grant will support youth to develop and implement their own social justice initiatives related to Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPoC), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) issues. 

*Grant Process Update: 

On February 7, 2022, DEEL announced that all technically compliant applicants for this grant will be fully funded. Please see our Award Update Frequently Asked Questions document for more information regarding next steps for applicants. 

Who can apply, and for how much money?

All youth ages 12-24 who live in Seattle are eligible to apply. Individuals and youth-led groups, such as school clubs, a student group, a community-based organization where a group of youth will lead the project, or a youth advisory council, are eligible to apply.

People ages 25+ are not eligible to apply for funds, but are encouraged to support youth as fiscal sponsors for the grant.

Applicants can request grants ranging from $500-$8,000. 

Types of Eligible Projects:

This mini-grant will fund social justice projects that address hate, bias, and violence related to race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.  Specifically, this grant is intended to benefit Seattle's Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Asian-American Pacific Islander communities, and LGBTQIA+ communities. The target audience for funded projects can be Seattleites of any age, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

How will applicants be selected?*

This grant is non-competitive, which means all applications that meet the eligibility requirements, are submitted on-time, and include all required materials will be funded unless there are more funds requested than available.

If more funds are requested than available, DEEL will prioritize applications based on a combination of factors including:

• Council districts served by the project
• Social justice topic area
• Whether a fiscal sponsor is identified
• Who the target audience for the project is
• Number of people served

How To Apply:

Eligible youth can choose to submit a mini-grant application in either a written or video format no later than October 25 at 5:00p.m. DEEL will notify successful applicants by Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

Timeline: 

Application Documents and Resources: 

Use the following links to access the forms and additional information you will need to apply for this funding opportunity. 

For questions, please contact: DEELFunding@seattle.gov with "Youth-Led Social Justice Mini-Grant" in the subject line.