Arts and culture
Murals, zines, exhibitions, and the film night nobody else runs.
A grant, a mentor,and a year to build it.
$200 to $1,000Enough for a mural, a Saturday clinic, or a first run of shows.
The YouMatter Fund backs Black youth aged 14 to 19 in Durham Region with micro-grants from $200 to $1,000, a mentor for the full year, and nothing to pay back.
- Five written questions
- Or a three minute video
$200 to $1,000
per grant, paid up front
14 to 19
the ages we fund
Durham Region
where the work has to land
12 months
to run your project
$0
to pay back, ever
Whatever is missing where you live.
We fund net new initiatives, not existing organisations. There is no business plan to write and no track record to prove. We are looking for someone who has clocked a gap on their own street and is willing to be the one who closes it.
What we cannot fund
Sport and wellbeing
Clinics, leagues, equipment, and the coach who keeps showing up.
Music and sound
Studio time, instruments, a first run of shows.
Learning and skills
Tutoring, workshops, certifications, the laptop that unblocks everything.
Voice and organising
Campaigns, know your rights nights, youth councils that actually meet.
Homeroom: the mentor is not an extra.
Money on its own runs out. Every grantee is paired with a primary mentor for the full year, meets them at least monthly, and can pull in the wider network when a problem needs a specialist.
A mentor matched to you
Pairing is done on skillset and domain, not on who happens to be free that week.
4 hours before a dollar moves
The planning day is mandatory. You, your mentor and the Akoma team pull the plan apart and put it back together.
A network behind the mentor
Short advisory calls, about 30 minutes, with volunteer professionals when you hit something specific.
- 01
Send it in
Five written questions, or a three minute video. Your pick.
- 02
We read every one
The committee weighs impact, urgency, feasibility, fit and longevity.
- 03
We talk it through
Shortlisted applicants sit down with us before anything is decided.
- 04
Planning day
Four hours with your mentor to stress test the plan.
- 05
Money moves
Funds land up front, once the plan and budget are signed off.
- 06
Build it
Twelve months, monthly check ins, and a network on call.
- 07
Show your work
Receipts, a one page report, and a spot at the year end showcase.
We stopped waiting to be funded and started funding each other.
Akoma Youth Network grew out of the Brothers United Mentorship Program. The point of The YouMatter Fund is to move community builders out of the queue for resources and into the seat where the resources get handed out.
The whole story
The money is real. The application is open.
Grants of $200 to $1,000 go out this cycle to young people in Durham Region with a plan and no easy way to fund it. Paid up front, with a mentor for the full year. If that is you, we would rather read your application than not.
Start an applicationFifteen minutes. No references, no grant writing, no repayment.
