COATESVILLE — The Coatesville Area Youth Philanthropy Program (CAYPP) of the Brandywine Health Foundation announced Monday that they are requesting proposals from organizations dedicated to providing mental health and/or substance use programs that treat individuals in a holistic and trauma-informed manner.
Fourteen Coatesville area youth, young men and women between the ages of 14 -18, who were accepted into this exciting youth philanthropy program, identified and determined a significant area of need in their community. The CAYPP members have met regularly during the fall and winter to learn how philanthropy works, and researched and discussed a myriad of possible philanthropic goals to improve their community before deciding to fund programs that address mental health and/or substance use issues. “It was a tough decision but we relied on the data as well as our own experiences to make the decision to focus on mental health and substance use disorders. We all know someone that has struggled with mental health and/or substance use issues in our community”, says Rebecca Kibler, Coatesville Area Senior High School (CASH) student and CAYPP member.
Later this spring, after a review of applications and site visits, the CAYPP members will award $15,000 in grants in the range of $5,000-$10,000 to eligible organizations. Eligible programs include but are not limited to those that offer services and programs focusing on prevention, early intervention, screening, and/or treatment of mental health and/or substance use disorders in the greater Coatesville community. The greater Coatesville community is defined as the nine municipalities in the Coatesville Area School District: the City of Coatesville, the Townships of Caln, East Fallowfield, Sadsbury, Valley, West Brandywine, and West Caln, and the Boroughs of Modena and South Coatesville. CAYPP is seeking organizations that are able to engage community members, produce measurable outputs and outcomes, and coordinate well with other local agencies.
Alison Carling, CASH student and CAYPP member shared “This process has made me realize our community has many needs that are not well addressed, and we have to prioritize these needs and determine what realistic solutions are.”
The grant application is available online at https://brandywinefoundation.org/current-priorities/coatesville-are-youth-philanthropy-program/grant-application/. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 5:00 pm. Applications received after the set deadline will not be considered.
Citadel and the Marshall Reynolds Foundation generously support the Coatesville Area Youth Philanthropy Program. CAYPP not only distributes grant dollars to pressing community issues, but inspires youth to: be philanthropist, explore careers in the non-profit sector and develop their leadership skills. “CAYPP is truly a group for our community that gives youth a voice, the power, and an opportunity to make a difference. That does not happen very often, and is why I keep coming back”, says Julian Maurer, senior at Pennsylvania Cyber Academy and three year returning member of CAYPP.
