Youth Choice Awards

The Youth Choice Awards are an initiative of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation launched as part of the Foundation's celebration of its 100-year history. The program is designed to engage young people in Flint in decisions about investments in the future of their schools, youth organizations, and community. Flint children and teens, supported by an educator or adult advisor, are helping award a total of 100 grants of $1,926 each. Fifty grants were awarded during the first round, and the second round is currently open for applications. Eligible participants are K-12 students who meet at least one of the program's specified conditions. Students may attend a school located within the city limits of Flint, attend a school that is part of the Network for School Excellence, or participate in a program at a community-based organization in Flint. For the community-based organization pathway, the organization must have at least 10 actively enrolled students and must have 501(c)(3) status. Schools and nonprofit organizations may apply for support for up to three projects. Organizations or schools that received grants during the first round remain eligible to apply again during the second round. Each Youth Choice Award is a fixed grant of $1,926. The application asks applicants to provide a project budget breakdown and gives an example in which the costs of individual project items collectively equal $1,926. The source does not identify a matching or cost-sharing requirement. It also does not specify additional restrictions concerning indirect costs, subawards, or particular categories of allowable or prohibited expenditures. Applicants must describe the proposed project, explain what they hope to accomplish, identify who will benefit, provide a budget breakdown, and state the anticipated project start and completion dates. An adult advisor or teacher must submit each project. The application requires the official school, district, or organization name as it appears on its website; a two- to three-sentence description of the school, district, or organization; Tax ID or EIN; teacher or advisor name; school or organization address; teacher or advisor email; description of youth participants; project title; project description; identification of project beneficiaries; project budget breakdown; and project timeline. Applicants must also provide the name, email address, and phone number of the principal or organization's executive director. Providing the principal or executive director's information confirms that the project has that person's approval. The application also includes a checkbox indicating whether project participants have completed a photo release form through the school or organization. The awards operate as relay grants in keeping with the Foundation's emphasis on involving young people in decision-making. Winners selected during the final week of the first round choose the first group of winners for the second round. Those participants then choose the next projects, and the process continues until all grants have been awarded. Grant recipients are notified each Wednesday by email by 5 p.m. Selected winners then have until 5 p.m. Thursday to choose the following week's recipient. Delivery of a winner's prize check is contingent on the winner submitting the selection for the following week's recipient by the Thursday deadline. In-person check presentations take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The application deadline for the second round is October 9, 2026. The source states that round two is currently open but does not provide a specific application opening date or identify the program as annually, biennially, or otherwise recurring. Questions about the program or application may be sent to youthchoiceawards@mott.org. The provided material does not identify an individual program contact, a program telephone number, or a direct PDF URL.

Use the official school, district, or organization name as it appears on its website; clearly describe the project and what it hopes to accomplish; provide the requested project budget breakdown; obtain principal or executive director approval before submission; if selected, submit the next recipient selection by the Thursday deadline because delivery of the prize check is contingent on it.