What is YIP? 

YIP YIP HOORAY! Okay, okay, that’s not the cheer, but we are cheering on our youth leaders!  

“Youth In Power'' (YIP) is an initiative to recognize outstanding young leaders within our community.

YIP focuses on young people working in the community to improve conditions for all Minneapolis youth. In partnership with Youthprise, The Graves Foundation has initiated a $50,000 grant pool and participatory process to award youth leaders. 

The Youth in Power award nomination and selection process is completely youth-led. Candidates can be nominated by peers, community members, friends, family, or anyone who recognizes their leadership within the community. A selection committee of youth leaders then selects the finalists. Finalists will be responsible for completing a brief RFP submission, describing how their work will continue to impact their community.

A celebratory awards ceremony will be held to recognize the award winners and highlight their grant funded projects. Candidates may receive up to $5,000 to support their efforts and ideas to better their communities. 

Nominations were open June 3rd - 24th. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations! The nomination period is now closed. We appreciate your participation and look forward to announcing our Youth In Power (YIP) award winners in late August. Stay tuned for updates!