By Youth For Youth
By Youth For Youth (BYFY) is a unique opportunity for Dane County high school youth to be impactful leaders in their community. BYFY provides the opportunity for youth to make local investment decisions to support youth-led and youth-designed programs and projects in Dane County.
Learn More About BYFY
BYFY members identify issues impacting youth in Dane County. They establish funding priorities, review grant proposals, and recommend funding from County and City grants. BYFY is a collaborative program supported by UW-Madison Extension, City of Madison, United Way of Dane County, Dane County Youth Commission, and the Madison Civics Club.
“BYFY is a program where youth are given the opportunity to impact their community by funding different youth programs in the area. It’s a great program to be a part of and helps you understand the needs of our community along with helping others.” – Past BYFY Member
“BYFY is an opportunity to work as part of team to fund youth-led social justice projects in Dane County. The program lets you gain experience in evaluating grant proposals and making funding decisions, which is a very impressive thing to have on your resume as a teen. BYFY is an incredible way to have an impact on issues you care about.” – Past BYFY Member
BYFY News & Updates
- In honor of Earth Month, PBS Wisconsin created Field Notes on Climate: a new educational resource for teachers and educators to prepare their classrooms and lessons for Earth Day. Under the Civic & Community Engagement category, the Planting Seeds of change: Youth Changemakers for Environmental Justice episode highlights the BYFY program and Youth Climate Action Fund program, where Dane County high school students awarded $150,000 in funds to youth-designed climate solutions that aligned with the City of Madison’s sustainability and climate resilience efforts. Read the PBS press release here highlighting two BYFY alumni, Reya Khatri and Esther Ko.
- An incredible thank you to the historical Madison Civics Club, who selected By Youth For Youth to be an annual recipient of their endowment at the Madison Community Foundation.
BYFY 2026/2027 Youth Cohort Applications – OPENING IN FALL
By Youth For Youth 2026/2027 Youth Cohort applications will open at the start of the school year in Fall 2026. If you are interested in receiving information about participating for 2026/2027, please add your information to this google form.
BYFY 2026/2027 Grant Applications – OPENING IN FALL
By Youth For Youth 2026/2027 grant applications will open in October of 2026. If you are interested in receiving information about submitting a grant for 2026/2027, please add your information to this google form.
Staff Contacts & Program Partners
Staff Contact Information:
Taylor Seale, UW–Madison Extension
Nathan Beck, City of Madison
Michelle Van Asten, United Way of Dane County
Bonnie Erikson, Dane County Youth Commission
Program Partners & Funders:
Thank you to our partners and funders! By Youth For Youth is a collaboration between:
- UW–Madison Extension
- City of Madison
- Dane County Youth Commission
- United Way of Dane County
- Madison Civics Club