Deadline: 10-Jul-2026
The Grants to Youth Organizations program supports not-for-profit organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador that deliver youth-focused projects. The program funds initiatives that strengthen youth skills, confidence, leadership, inclusion, accessibility, mentorship, and participation in community life.
A total of $276,500 is available, with up to $30,000 available per organization. Eligible projects must be not-for-profit, youth-serving, and delivered between September and March of the fiscal year.
What is the Grants to Youth Organizations Program?
The Grants to Youth Organizations program provides special project funding to not-for-profit organizations working with youth in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The program supports projects that create meaningful opportunities for young people to build skills, develop confidence, participate in community life, and prepare for adulthood.
Projects should be innovative, youth-focused, and designed to address real needs or barriers experienced by young people.
Main Purpose of the Program
The main purpose of the program is to support youth-serving organizations that help young people grow, participate, and lead.
The program aims to:
- Strengthen youth skills
- Support mentorship
- Promote leadership development
- Increase youth participation in community life
- Improve accessibility and inclusion
- Address unmet youth needs
- Reduce barriers to participation
- Build intergenerational and community relationships
- Ensure youth are involved in project planning and design
Geographic Focus
The program supports projects in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Applicants must be not-for-profit organizations delivering youth-focused initiatives that benefit young people in the province.
Funding Amount
The total available funding under the program is $276,500.
The maximum funding available per organization is $30,000.
Applicants should prepare a realistic project budget that directly supports youth-focused activities and eligible project costs.
Project Period
Eligible projects must be delivered between September and March of the fiscal year.
Projects taking place between July and August are not eligible.
Applicants should ensure that their timelines align with the approved delivery period.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants are not-for-profit organizations working with youth in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Applicants must:
- Be not-for-profit
- Be youth-serving in nature
- Deliver a special project rather than general operations
- Demonstrate meaningful youth engagement
- Show how the project strengthens youth outcomes
- Meet program requirements for eligible activities and expenses
Projects led by individuals or businesses are not eligible.
Target Beneficiaries
The program is designed to benefit youth in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Target beneficiaries may include:
- Young people seeking skill development
- Youth facing barriers to participation
- Youth needing mentorship or leadership opportunities
- Youth from underrepresented or underserved groups
- Young people transitioning into adulthood
- Youth involved in community-building activities
Key Focus Areas
The program focuses on youth development, inclusion, and community participation.
Key focus areas include:
- Youth skill development
- Mentorship
- Social inclusion
- Leadership development
- Youth participation
- Accessibility
- Inclusion
- Addressing unmet needs
- Reducing barriers
- Intergenerational relationships
- Community relationship building
- Youth-led planning and design
What Types of Projects Are Supported?
The program supports innovative youth-focused projects delivered by youth-serving organizations.
Supported initiatives may include:
- Leadership development projects
- Mentorship programs
- Skill-building workshops
- Youth inclusion initiatives
- Accessibility-focused youth programs
- Community participation projects
- Intergenerational activities
- Projects addressing barriers faced by youth
- Youth-designed or youth-informed initiatives
- Programs supporting transition into adulthood
Youth Engagement Requirement
Projects should demonstrate meaningful youth engagement throughout the project cycle.
This means youth should be involved in:
- Identifying needs
- Designing the project
- Planning activities
- Participating in delivery where appropriate
- Providing feedback
- Evaluating results
Strong projects should treat youth as active contributors, not only as participants.
Assessment Criteria
Applications are evaluated based on how well the proposed project supports youth development and community participation.
Assessment may consider whether the project:
- Strengthens youth skills
- Builds confidence and leadership
- Enables youth participation in community life
- Promotes accessibility and inclusion
- Addresses unmet needs or barriers
- Builds intergenerational or community relationships
- Involves youth in planning and design
- Provides clear and measurable outcomes
Eligible Project Features
Strong projects should have a clear youth-serving purpose and practical delivery plan.
Eligible projects should:
- Be not-for-profit
- Focus on youth needs and outcomes
- Be delivered between September and March
- Include meaningful youth involvement
- Demonstrate innovation or community value
- Have a clear budget
- Show how activities will benefit youth
Ineligible Projects
Certain project types are not eligible for funding.
Ineligible projects include:
- Projects primarily focused on travel
- Projects led by individuals
- Projects led by businesses
- Large infrastructure projects
- Major facility upgrades
- Projects taking place between July and August
Small-scale improvements may be considered eligible if they are directly required for program delivery.
Ineligible Expenses
The program does not cover certain general or unrelated costs.
Ineligible expenses include:
- General administrative costs unrelated to the project
- Payroll costs unrelated to the project
- Utilities
- Rent
- Honoraria
- Non-project-related operational expenses
Applicants should ensure that all requested costs are directly connected to project delivery.
Key Concepts Explained
Youth-Serving Organization
A youth-serving organization is a not-for-profit group that designs and delivers programs, services, or activities intended to benefit young people.
Youth Engagement
Youth engagement means young people are meaningfully involved in shaping, participating in, and evaluating a project.
Social Inclusion
Social inclusion means creating opportunities for all young people to participate fully, especially those who may face barriers due to disability, income, location, identity, or other circumstances.
Mentorship
Mentorship involves guidance, encouragement, learning, and support from experienced individuals who help young people build skills and confidence.
Intergenerational Relationship Building
Intergenerational relationship building connects youth with people from other age groups to share knowledge, strengthen community ties, and create mutual understanding.
How the Program Works
Not-for-profit organizations apply for funding to deliver youth-focused projects in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Projects must be delivered during the eligible period and must demonstrate clear benefits for youth.
Applications should explain the project idea, youth needs, planned activities, youth involvement, expected outcomes, budget, and delivery timeline.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a proposal that clearly explains how the project will support youth development and participation.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that the applicant is a not-for-profit youth-serving organization.
- Ensure the project will take place in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Confirm the project will be delivered between September and March.
- Identify the youth needs or barriers the project will address.
- Explain how youth will be involved in planning and design.
- Develop activities that support skills, mentorship, inclusion, leadership, or community participation.
- Prepare a budget of up to $30,000.
- Ensure all costs are directly related to project delivery.
- Avoid ineligible expenses such as unrelated administration, rent, utilities, or honoraria.
- Submit the application according to the program requirements.
Expected Results
Funded projects should create practical and meaningful benefits for youth.
Expected results may include:
- Improved youth skills
- Increased confidence
- Stronger leadership capacity
- Greater youth participation in community life
- Improved inclusion and accessibility
- Reduced barriers for young people
- Stronger mentorship relationships
- Better intergenerational connections
- Increased youth involvement in decision-making
- Stronger transition support into adulthood
Why It Matters
Youth-focused organizations play an important role in helping young people build confidence, skills, relationships, and leadership experience.
Many youth face barriers to participation, including accessibility challenges, unmet needs, social exclusion, or limited opportunities in their communities.
This program helps not-for-profit organizations create projects that respond to these needs and support young people as active members of community life.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly show how the project benefits youth and how youth are involved in shaping the work.
Applicants should focus on:
- Clear youth needs
- Strong youth engagement
- Practical activities
- Measurable outcomes
- Inclusive and accessible design
- Strong mentorship or leadership components
- Realistic project timeline
- Clear budget
- Direct link between costs and project activities
- Benefits for youth transition into adulthood
Applicants should avoid general program descriptions and clearly explain what the project will do, who it will serve, and what will change for youth.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should carefully check program rules before applying.
Common mistakes include:
- Submitting a project led by an individual or business
- Proposing activities mainly focused on travel
- Planning activities between July and August
- Requesting funding for major facility upgrades
- Including general administrative costs unrelated to the project
- Including rent, utilities, or unrelated payroll
- Not showing youth involvement in planning
- Providing unclear outcomes
- Submitting a weak or incomplete budget
- Failing to explain how the project promotes inclusion or addresses barriers
FAQ
What is the Grants to Youth Organizations program?
It is a funding program that supports not-for-profit organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador delivering youth-focused special projects.
How much funding is available?
The total available funding is $276,500, with up to $30,000 available per organization.
Who can apply?
Not-for-profit organizations delivering youth-serving initiatives in Newfoundland and Labrador can apply.
When must projects take place?
Eligible projects must be delivered between September and March of the fiscal year.
Are July and August projects eligible?
No. Projects taking place between July and August are not eligible.
What types of projects are not eligible?
Projects primarily focused on travel, projects led by individuals or businesses, large infrastructure projects, and major facility upgrades are not eligible.
What expenses are not eligible?
Ineligible expenses include unrelated administrative costs, non-project payroll, utilities, rent, and honoraria.
Conclusion
The Grants to Youth Organizations program supports not-for-profit organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador that deliver meaningful youth-focused projects. With total funding of $276,500 and grants of up to $30,000 per organization, the program helps young people build skills, confidence, leadership, inclusion, and stronger community connections.
Strong applications will demonstrate clear youth engagement, measurable outcomes, accessibility, inclusion, realistic budgeting, and a strong connection between project activities and the needs of young people.
For more information, visit Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.