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 organized by UW-Madison Extension, the City of Madison, and United Way of Dane County.

“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

2023-2024 BYFY member applications are now closed. If you are a high school student in Dane County interested in applying for the 2024 – 2025 BYFY cohort, please fill out this form to be added to our outreach list.

• 2023-2024 Important Dates:
  • Grant applications open: October 18, 2023 (application link here)
  • Applications due: December 22, 2023
  • Applications reviewed: January – March, 2024
  • Applicants notified: March 2024
  • Awards Ceremony: April 29, 2024 (6:00-7:30pm @ United Way of Dane County, 2059 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704)
• Who Can Apply for a Grant:
  • If you are a youth, youth-serving organization, and/or school located in Dane County.
  • If your program or project serves K-12 youth in Dane County.
  • If you have non-profit status or a fiscal agent. (If you do not have a fiscal agent, please still submit your grant application. We will attempt to identify a fiscal agent for you if your proposal is selected for funding.)
• Grant Requirements:
  • The program or project can happen outside of Dane County, as long as the program or project serves K – 12 youth from Dane County.
  • Youth must be included in the project planning, proposal writing, and/or project implementation.
  • Youth applicants, youth organizations, and schools can request up to $3,000.
  • Program and project proposals should correspond with at least one funding priority to be considered for funding. The following funding priorities have been identified by the 2023/24 BYFY cohort:
    • Immigration
    • Sexual Assault, Sex Trafficking
    • Poverty, Food Insecurity, Homelessness
    • Mental Health, Physical Health
    • Climate Change

Staff Contact Information:

Taylor Seale, UW-Madison Extension
tseale@wisc.edu

Nathan Beck, City of Madison
nbeck@cityofmadison.com

Lindsey Gearin, United Way of Dane County
lindsey.gearin@uwdc.org

Program Partners:

Thank you to our partners! By Youth For Youth is a collaboration between:

• UW Madison Extension Dane County
• City of Madison, Department of Planning & Community Economic Development
• Dane County Department of Human Services, Dane County Youth Commission
• United Way of Dane County