Support the Dreams of Young People with Microfunding Opportunities

Nonprofits are finding creative new ways to help young people realize their potential; here’s your opportunity to help support this inspiring work. From now through February 1, the Microsoft Give for Youth GOOD Maker Challenge will give U.S.-based nonprofits the chance to rally new support and funding for the youth they serve.

Know a nonprofit empowering young people in innovative ways? Nominate them now for the challenge and they could be featured on GiveforYouth.org.

Give for Youth, a Microsoft YouthSpark program in partnership with GlobalGiving, allows donors to find, fund and follow specific youth-targeted microprojects. Donors can select from a variety of projects that support 13 to 25 year-olds on their journey to continue their education, find employment, or start a business or social enterprise.

Check out some of the innovative projects currently raising funds on Give for Youth:

On the Road to Education in Malawi

Most non-boarding schools in Malawi lack basic learning materials like books, but a mobile library can change that. By driving a mobile library stocked with books and reference materials around the Ksungu region of Malawi, one group hopes to bring books and critical learning supplies to girls and help them further their education. Learn more about the needs of the mobile libraries here.

Energy Kits for Green Education

Schools these days are resource-strapped. The Energy Kits for Green Education project was created to address this. Distributed to classrooms in rural and urban schools, the kit will come filled with materials to help students explore climate change and the global environment through science, technology, engineering and math projects. Learn more about their plan and anticipated long-term impact.

CapLight: Assist a Young Entrepreneur

Something as ubiquitous as light can easily get taken for granted. But in towns like Trujillo, Peru, inhabitants don’t have access to indoor or nighttime light. The CapLight project aims to bring affordable lights made of soda bottles to families in Trujillo to improve living standards, increase access to education and allow evenings to be used more productively. Find out how the lights work here.

Feeling inspired? Support one of these nonprofits or nominate one for the Give for Youth challenge. The 20 nonprofits who receive the most votes will be able to microfund for their projects on Give for Youth, plus be eligible for Microsoft matching grants up to $100,000 across all organizations.

Interested in getting funding for your own U.S.-based youth micro-project? Review the official rules and submit your nonprofit to our Give for Youth challenge on GOOD Maker from Monday, January 7 to Friday, February 1 (noon Pacific Time) for a chance to have your project featured on Give for Youth.

Photos courtesy of Microsoft, CARE, Washington STEM, and Ashoka