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, United Way of Dane County, and the Dane County Youth Commission.

“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

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. BYFY member applications open at the beginning of the school year.

If you are interested in applying for a 2024 – 2025 BYFY grant, please fill out this form to be added to our outreach list. Grant applications open at the end of October and are due in December. 

• 2024-2025 Important Dates:
  • Grant applications open: October 2024
  • Applications due: December 2024
  • Applications reviewed: January – February 2025
  • Applicants notified: March 2025
  • Awards Ceremony: April 2025 (date/time/location TBD)
• 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. Funding priorities will be identified and chosen by the 2024/25 BYFY cohort in October of 2024. Funding priorities vary each year, but grants that address mental health, food insecurity, climate change, and poverty have been consistent issues identified by youth.

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