FCYO
Youth Power Pledge
FCYO’s Youth Power Pledge is a challenge to philanthropy to ensure that young people have the resources they need to create the world we want to live in.
What is Youth Organizing?
Grounded in racial, gender, and economic justice, youth organizing is the process of engaging young people in building power for systemic change while supporting their individual and collective development.
Hear from youth organizer Tyler Okeke.
Why support youth organizing?
2020 demonstrated the strength of youth organizing across issue areas—with young people driving wins and record-high voter turnout in a pivotal election year, co-leading a push for racial reckoning in schools and communities, and combating systemic inequities in education, public health, and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their work expands upon intergenerational legacies of youth-led social change seen in the Civil Rights Movement, Chicano Movement, the fight for queer and trans justice, and the American Indian Movement, among others.
Youth organizing is transformative for young people themselves, for their communities, and for our shared future.
Teen Vogue
Students Walk Out Over Covid in New York, Michigan, Oakland, Boston
January 12, 2022
Rolling Stone
Year in Review: How Black Lives Matter Inspired a New Generation of Youth Activists
January 12, 2022
Youth organizers have recently won key victories toward ending the school-to-prison pipeline and have mobilized their communities in confronting the realities of climate justice and economic inequity. Youth organizing is a proven strategy for transformative change — yet its full potential has not yet been realized. Together, we can expand resources to young people at the forefront of social justice, increase capacity and alignment in the youth organizing field, and develop the skills of young leaders.
“We value the energy, rigor, and courage of youth leadership and youth organizing and we have seen the results. This pivotal moment calls us to dedicate ourselves to their demand – for racial justice, economic justice, immigrant justice, gender justice, and a more sustainable planet – like we mean it.”
– Dr. Robert Ross, President and CEO, The California Endowment
“The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing has helped philanthropy understand and support social change centering young people, their experiences and leadership for over 20 years. In this time, we see young people confronting some of our biggest challenges – climate change, state sanctioned violence, immigration, racial justice, gender justice – and doing so with courage and power. FCYO’s Youth Power Pledge is a chance for us all to meet their commitment with our own.”
– Lori Bezahler, President, Edward W. Hazen Foundation
“The Youth Power Pledge is a critical resource to provide youth of all backgrounds with the tools, time, and trust to lead. We have committed more than $1.5 million to the pledge and urge other funders to support the leaders who are advancing justice and equality at this pivotal moment in history.”
– Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation
Hear from FCYO stakeholders why we’re committed to supporting youth organizers.
Funders, take the Youth Power Pledge!
Funders who take the Youth Power Pledge will directly fund organizations that are led by youth of color, low-income youth, young women, queer and trans youth; support the holistic development of young leaders; and engage young people in the leadership of the organization and in collective action.
Take the Youth Power Pledge as a funder:
Individuals, support the
Youth Power Pledge!
Individuals committed to the Youth Power Pledge commit to using their social, institutional, and cultural capital to amplify the organizing and activism initiated by youth of color, low-income youth, young women, and queer youth — whether it be through direct allyship in action, sharing resources to benefit youth organizers directly, or boosting the communications efforts of youth-led movements.
Support the Youth Power Pledge as an individual:
