The BOAST Youth Fund
The BOAST Youth Fund was established in 2002 as a donor advised fund of the Upper Valley Community Foundation (UVCF). BOAST’s goal for the BOAST Youth Fund is to value and recognize young people as resources and connect them with their communities in meaningful ways. The BOAST Youth Fund has several programs.
v BOAST Youth Venture
BOAST Youth Venture is a program that invests in young people (ages12-20) as changemakers by helping them create and lead their own ventures — clubs, organizations or businesses— that make a difference in their communities. Young people provide the leadership and hard work to turn their own dreams into social ventures, while BOAST Youth Venture, together with its network of adult allies, helps remove barriers, provides tools and invests seed capital for their launch.
v BOAST Community Service Mini Grants
The BOAST community service mini grant program supports short-term community service projects created and carried out by youth ages 5-19 with guidance from an adult ally.
v BOAST Philanthropy Training
BOAST is developing a philanthropy training program other component which will provide a way to teach young people about the art of giving and the importance of civic involvement. A core component of the philanthropy training will be to have participating youth serve on the BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee to gain practical experience in funding grants to community organizations. The committee will meet biannually in May and November to review grants and make funding recommendations to the UVCF Board for proposals submitted by youth serving organizations to for the April 1 and October 1 deadlines. Grant awards from the BOAST Youth Fund will be made in partnership with the UVCF.
An advisory committee directs the BOAST Youth Fund. Each June the committee recommends a dollar amount to be distributed to BOAST for its operating costs and for the awards made through its three grant programs in the following school year. Each program has its own panel or committee, several members of which also serve on the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee. The committees that oversee the three current BOAST programs are training opportunities for youth to eventually serve on the BOAST Advisory Committee.
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Grant Application Process:
Who can apply?
Any young person who is between the ages of 12-20 can apply to the BOAST Youth Venture program and any youth between the ages of 5-18 can apply for a community service mini grant.
How much money can I apply for?
BOAST Youth Venture applicants may apply for one time venture start up costs of up to $1000. BOAST community service mini grant applicants may apply for a one-time grant of up to $250. Both programs are non-competitive. They are designed to support the innovative ideas of local youth. The panels that review the applications will make every effort to provide applicants with information and feedback to ensure a successful proposal. See specific guidelines for each proposal described in the individual applications.
What else do I have to do?
Youth applicants will be asked to present their BOAST Youth Venture plan or mini grant service project to a panel of advisory committee members who are eager to learn more about the project. Applicants should expect to explain their plans and answer questions during a 15 minute presentation. Applicants will be informed if they have been selected within 2 days of the presentation.
When are the deadlines and who will decide if I get the funding?
The deadline for applications to the various BOAST Youth Fund programs is as follows:
v BOAST Youth Venture program applications are accepted at any time and are reviewed by a panel with representatives from the members of the community and the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee as well as current BOAST Youth Venturers.
v BOAST community service mini grants are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed by a panel with representatives from the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee as well as interested Upper Valley youth and adults.
v Upper Valley Community Foundation grants considered by the philanthropy training committee are to be submitted by October 1 and April 1. The committee will meet biannually in May and November to review grants and make funding recommendations for proposals submitted by youth serving organizations to UVCF.
Where can I get an application?
Applications for both BOAST Youth Venture and the community service mini grant program can be obtained from the UVCF, local libraries, school counselors, the BOAST Web site or by mail from BOAST. For more information about BOAST and the BOAST Youth Fund programs email BOAST at boast@valley.net, visit the Web site: www.boastonline.org or call Leslie Williamson (603) 643-2440.
Applications
for the
BOAST Youth Venture and Community Service Mini Grants
should be submitted
to:
BOAST
1 Meadow Lane
Hanover, NH 03755
THE
BOAST YOUTH FUND
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the BOAST Youth Fund?
A. It’s a charitable endowment established by BOAST. It was established in 2002 as a donor advised fund of the Upper Valley Community Foundation. The goal of the BOAST Youth Fund is to value and recognize young people as resources and connect them with their communities in meaningful ways by:
A: Enlisting their help to identify and deal with real problems in the community;
B: Nourishing their diverse strengths, talents and interests;
C: Supporting their perseverance and idealism;
D: Encouraging their social conscience by providing philanthropy training and by involving them in practical giving and volunteering opportunities;
E: Enabling them to pursue their own ideas to benefit the communities in which they live.
Q. What is an endowment?
A. An endowment is a collection of funds intended to be kept permanently and invested to provide income for continued support of an organization or program.
Q. What does BOAST stand for?
A. BOAST is an acronym for Building Our Assets for A Safer Tomorrow. BOAST was created in 1997 as a non-profit consulting organization with the goal of creating a community-wide commitment to the healthy development of all youth using the asset approach. Originally part of the Dresden School District’s Comprehensive School Health Committee, BOAST was formed out of the realization that it is the role of the whole community to promote healthy choices and to be role models for their youth. The asset building model decreases risky behavior by concentrating on specific, practical, and positive developmental assets that all young people should have in their lives. Examples of these assets include adult role models and youth programs; you can learn about all forty such assets by visiting BOAST’s Web site: www.boastonline.org.
Q. What does BOAST do?
A. BOAST provides a variety of services to the community:
Information:
BOAST gives free presentations about asset building and provides consultation on ways to build assets for youth in the community. BOAST also provides training in DREAM IT, DO IT workshops and related topics for youth who want to create their own community serving business, organization or club.
Communication:
BOAST serves as a community resource network for asset building initiatives. We have also created a community service Web site for youth to help them find the right match with their interests and talents. It can be accessed from the BOAST home page: www.boastonline.org.
Connection:
BOAST helps connect you, your group, business, or organization with youth and other community asset builders.
Grants:
BOAST offers start up costs for BOAST Youth Venture projects and community service mini grants to youth that have ideas on ways to make a difference in their community. BOAST is working on a philanthropy training component that will include instruction on the various aspects of philanthropy as well as practical application in grant making using funds set aside specifically within the BOAST Youth Fund for this purpose.
Q. How will the BOAST Youth Fund be set up?
A. The BOAST Youth Fund will be a constituent fund of the Upper Valley Community Foundation, which is a joint regional division of both the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Vermont Community Foundation. The Upper Valley Community Foundation has the expertise to effectively hold and manage the funds raised and distributed by the BOAST Youth Fund.
The BOAST Youth Fund has several components all of which are overseen by the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee:
1. BOAST YOUTH VENTURE and BOAST COMMUNITY SERVICE MINI GRANTS are two different programs that invest in young people as positive changemakers in their community. The programs are intended to support community minded initiatives that have been created and implemented by youth with guidance from an adult ally.
The BOAST YOUTH VENTURE program is aimed at youth ages 12-20 who have devised their own sustainable plan to launch a community serving business, organization or club. The BOAST Youth Venture program provides tools, training, seed funding up to $1000 and other support to launch the project.
The BOAST COMMUNITY SERVICE MINI GRANT program is aimed at youth ages 5-18 who have an idea for community service project which requires $250 or less of funding and is short in duration.
2. BOAST YOUTH PHILANTHROPY TRAINING provides BOAST with a way to teach young people about the art of giving and the importance of civic involvement. A core component of the philanthropy training will be to have participating youth serve on the BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee to gain practical experience in funding grants. The board will meet biannually in May and November to review grant proposals and make funding recommendations for grants from youth serving organizations that have submitted proposals to the UVCF for deadlines April 1 and October 1. Funds for this portion of the BOAST Youth Fund will come from a dollars designated by the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee each school year. Grant awards will be made in partnership with the UVCF.
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Q: Who serves on the various BOAST Youth Fund committees?
A:
BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee
3 year term BOAST
Co-Director, Linda Addante
3 year term
BOAST Co-Director, Leslie Williamson
2 year term
Youth representative from BOAST Youth Venture, mini grant or philanthropy
committees
1 year term
Youth representative from BOAST Youth Venture, mini grant or philanthropy
committees
1 year term
Adult representative from BOAST Youth Venture, mini grant or philanthropy
committees
1 year term
Community member
1 year term
Youth in training
1 year
term Upper Valley Community Foundation representative who is serving
on the BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee (NOTE: This could also be the person
who is serving the 1 year adult representative).
*Term = 1 year
BOAST Youth Venture Advisory Panel
1 year term
BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee youth representative
3 year terms
Leslie Williamson
3 year terms
Linda Addante
1 Round
Sponsor Representative
1 Round
Sponsor Representative
2 Rounds
Youth in Training (youth)
1-2
Rounds Current BOAST Youth Venturer (youth)
*Term = 1 year / Round = a quarter
BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee
1 year term Upper Valley
Community Foundation advisor
3 year term Linda
Addante
3 year term Leslie
Williamson
1 year term All participating
youth in philanthropy training program
1 year term 1 adult
community member
1 year term
Previously trained youth to serve as mentor
Q: How often do the various BOAST Youth Fund committees meet?
A: The BOAST Youth Venture Advisory Panel is convened when venturers are ready to present their project ideas to the panel. The BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee, which designates the funds that will be allocated to BOAST for yearly operating costs and program expenses/grant awards, will meet yearly in June. They will determine the amount of funds to be transferred to the BOAST account held by the Hanover School District. The BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee will meet two/three times a year. One of those times will include a retreat and training, the other two will also include a training component as well as grant decision-making process. Subcommittee work may require additional meetings.
Q: How will the BOAST Youth Fund be funded?
A: An initial large donation was received to start the fund and enable the BOAST Youth Fund programs to use the interest accrued as the main source of revenue for grant distributions and trainings. Additional fundraising and local support will be sought from area businesses, organizations, and individual donors who wish to recognize young people as resources and to encourage them to connect to their communities in meaningful ways
Q: Who makes the decision on how income and distributions are managed for the BOAST Youth Fund?
A: The BOAST Youth Fund is an advised donor fund which means that a group of advisory committee members makes recommendations to the UVCF, a regional division of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Vermont Community Foundation on how to distribute the available funds. The BOAST Youth Fund will have three distinctive programs: BOAST Youth Venture, BOAST community service mini grants, and the BOAST youth philanthropy training and grant-making program.
Q: Who will distribute checks to the grantees?
A: To make the various BOAST programs as flexible and accommodating as possible, the UVCF as advised by the BOAST Youth Fund Advisory Committee, will distribute a set amount annually in June to BOAST’s Hanover School District account to cover general operating costs and grant awards to individuals under the BOAST Youth Venture and mini grant programs. UVCF may only award funds to non-profit organizations. Therefore BOAST Youth Venturers and grantees of the community service program will receive checks to fund their projects from the Hanover School District.
Q: Who will make the distributions designated by the BOAST Youth Advised Fund (the philanthropy and grant-making program)?
A: Upon approval of the Upper Valley Community Foundation Board successful grant proposals awarded by the BOAST Youth Philanthropy Committee will receive checks from the Upper Valley Community Foundation directly.
Q: How can I contribute to the BOAST Youth Fund?
A: If you are interested in contributing to the BOAST Youth Fund contact BOAST for more information:
BOAST
1 Meadow Lane, Hanover, NH 03755
Email: boast@valley.net Web site: www.boastonline.org
(603) 643-2440
Or the Upper Valley Community Foundation to make a gift of cash or stock:
Upper Valley Community Foundation
Lisa Cashdan, Senior Foundation Officer
PO Box 995, Hanover NH 03755
Email: lgc@nhcf.org
(603) 653-0387