In 2024-2025, Serve Connecticut conducted a competitive Youth-Led Service Project Mini-Grant process that netted 151 proposal applications from across the state.

Eligible applicants included schools, out-of-school time programs (afterschool or summer), municipalities, agencies and and/or youth-serving organizations. Youth-led groups were welcome to apply with sponsorship of an eligible applicant listed above.

To qualify for up to $8,000 in funding, proposed youth-led service initiatives:

• could be new or existing;
• must prioritize engaging youth that may currently be underrepresented in youth service in our state;
• must actively engage youth in the determination, design, development, and implementation of the proposed service project/initiative;
• must include opportunity for participating youth to reflect on and demonstrate learning from their service project/initiative experience;
• must benefit a defined community (school community, neighborhood, town, etc.) or cause (veterans, seniors, animal welfare, etc.) in a manner that meets a documented need.

Mini-grant funding could be used to fund:

• youth-led service project/initiative development and implementation (examples: materials, supplies, personnel, promotion, travel/transportation, etc.), and/or
• removal of barriers to youth participation in youth-led service projects/initiatives (examples: participant stipends or education awards, program tuitions/registration fees, transportation, etc.).

Funding was not permitted to be used for religious instruction, materials not directly related to the proposed program/project, capital expenses, or donations to other organizations.

The Commission conducted a scored internal review process of all 151 applications and awarded five grants to youth-led service initiatives for the term of January-September 2025 (detailed below).

Each awarded mini-grant recipient was required to designate one adult representative and one youth representative to act together as team as project/initiative leaders and liaisons with Serve Connecticut staff. Underserved, underrepresented and/or disconnected youth should were encouraged to serve in the youth representative role.

Youth and adult grant representatives attended a virtual welcome and orientation training with Serve Connecticut staff in February 2025. Ongoing contact between grantees was maintained throughout the service project was maintained by both Serve Connecticut’s Director of Programs and the Marketing Officer.

Grantees were required to complete the following grant-related deliverables:

• Mid-Project Progress Report (project progress, project promotion and receipts to date)
• End-of-Project Progress Report (project progress, project promotion and remaining receipts)
• Memory Fox video submission to The AllState Foundation-provided link