Metro United Way has announced a major investment in the future of young people across the region, committing $1,037,800 to support youth serving organizations throughout its 7-county service area.
The investment will provide funding to 37 organizations, including 29 BIPOC led or grassroots organizations, and is expected to deliver more than 21,000 hours of youth programming while positively impacting more than 6,000 young people during the first year.
The funding comes at a critical time as communities face growing concerns about the availability of summer and year-round youth programming. Community leaders warn that when structured opportunities are limited, young people face greater risks of exposure to crime, substance abuse, poor mental health outcomes, and academic setbacks. Many youth also lose access to school-based meals during the summer months, increasing the risk of food insecurity.
Metro United Way’s Youth Success Request for Proposals was created as a two-year general operating grant opportunity for nonprofit organizations serving youth ages 6 through 24. Eligible organizations were located within Metro United Way’s seven county region, which includes Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, and Bullitt counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana.
Grant recipients were selected based on their alignment with Metro United Way’s five Youth Success strategies, which focus on creating opportunities that help young people thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and professionally.
One of the organization’s primary focuses are expanding academic support opportunities for youth.
Through the Rise Tutoring Partnership with Bellarmine University, dedicated tutors are connected with youth serving organizations to provide academic assistance and educational support. Additional initiatives include Any One Can Read, which offers free online literacy resources and assessments, and Educational Justice, a program that pairs high achieving high school students with fifth through eighth grade students to encourage mentorship and academic growth.
Beyond academic programming, Metro United Way continues to provide infrastructure support to a network of nearly 200 community-based youth organizations. The network brings together providers committed to delivering high quality learning experiences, skill development opportunities, and professional growth for youth workers.
The organization also invests in training and professional development opportunities for youth development professionals. Through conferences, workshops, and specialized training sessions, youth workers receive access to research-based practices and current information on issues affecting young people and the organizations that serve them.
Capacity building remains another key component of the investment strategy. Metro United Way provides support through program quality coaching, access to research-based data tools that help organizations measure learning outcomes and social emotional development, and grant development assistance through a partnership with the Buttafly Group.
Recognizing the importance of supporting those who work directly with youth, Metro United Way also offers mental health resources for youth workers. These services include Sister Circle, a facilitated support group for women of color working in youth development, along with individualized employee assistance services provided by certified mental health professionals.
The announcement follows the recent launch of Metro United Way’s Hardship to Hope Youth Summer Fund, an initiative designed to address immediate summer needs for youth ages 11 through 18. The fund supports organizations that provide mentoring, career exploration, life skills training, academic enrichment, mental and physical health services, music, art, educational field trips, and other activities that keep young people engaged in positive environments.
Research consistently shows that quality youth programming reduces risky behaviors while increasing academic achievement, social development, and long-term success. Community leaders say investments in youth programs also benefit families and employers by helping address childcare challenges and strengthening workforce stability.
Metro United Way officials say every child deserves access to safe and structured opportunities that promote learning, personal growth, and healthy development. Through this latest investment, the organization hopes to ensure thousands of young people across the region have the support and resources needed to succeed both during the summer and throughout the year. Community members interested in supporting the initiative or learning more about the Hardship to Hope Youth Summer Fund can visit Metro United Way’s website at www.metrounitedway.org/summerfund.
