$200
The unblocker
One thing standing between a plan and a start. Paint and brushes, a term of court time, a certification fee, the printing for a first event.
Small grants, paid up front, with no strings to trip over.
The YouMatter Fund gives $200 to $1,000 to young people in Durham Region with a plan and no easy way to fund it. Here is exactly where the money sits, who can ask for it, and what it is expected to cover.
$200 to $1,000Per grant, nothing to pay back.
Where the money sits.
$1,500 is committed for the first cycle. It is split two ways, and the larger half is the half that leaves the account.
- Grants
- $1,00067% of the commitmentGoes out the door as micro-grants. Every dollar of it reaches a young person's project.
- Reserve
- $50033% of the commitmentHeld back for discretionary top ups partway through the year, for projects with real need and exceptional work.
What a grant is expected to cover.
There is no fixed menu, and you do not have to ask for the maximum. Ask for what the plan costs. These are the three shapes we see most.
$500
The season
Something that runs for months rather than an afternoon. A weekly tutoring circle, a clinic that meets every Saturday, studio time booked in a block.
$1,000
The whole build
A project with equipment, a venue and a run of dates. A mural from permit to unveiling, a league that finishes its season, a first run of shows.
Who qualifies.
Four things, and none of them are a track record. You do not need to be incorporated, have a board, have charitable status, or have run anything before. Most of the people we fund have not.
The full eligibility list- You self identify as Black and you are aged 14 to 19.
- You live in Durham Region, or the project directly benefits it.
- The initiative is net new, or a grassroots effort you are leading yourself.
- You can attend the planning day and keep up monthly check ins.
If the plan costs money you do not have, ask us for it.
Fifteen minutes. No references, no grant writing, no repayment.