New $50 Million Initiative Aims to Build a Thriving Ecosystem of 500 Nonprofit Leaders to Support 40 Million Young People
New York City, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Young Futures (YF) launched the YF500, a first-of-its-kind philanthropic index fund dedicated to building a robust ecosystem to support youth wellbeing in a tech-driven world. This five-year, $50 million commitment, which was announced onstage at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025, will fund, connect, and amplify 500 community-rooted nonprofit leaders across the United States who are working at the critical intersection of youth, technology, and mental health.
The YF500 is CGI's newest Commitment to Action. Its name is a promise: by 2030, the fund will back 500 visionary leaders with the capital and support to reach 50% of its decade-long goal—to support 40 million young people (ages 10–19) in building a stronger sense of agency and equip 20 million families with better tools and resources. To date, Young Futures has already funded 35 organizations across four national challenges and secured commitments for over 40 percent of the YF500 financial target, underscoring both the urgency of the need and the momentum of the movement. The YF500 is a collaborative funding vehicle with foundational support from Pivotal Ventures, Susan Crown Exchange, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Goodness Web, Resonance Philanthropies and Enlight Foundation, and challenge funding from Pinterest, Bezos Family Foundation, Niantic Spatial, Hopelab and Omidyar Network.
"The YF500 is more than a number—it's a systems-level investment in the human and tech infrastructure young people need to thrive," said Katya Hancock, CEO of Young Futures. "Like an index fund, we're spreading investment across hundreds of local leaders to reduce risk, maximize growth, and build a resilient ecosystem. Instead of betting on a single solution, we're creating the conditions for lasting impact where trust, relevance, and belonging can flourish—community by community."
The YF500 launches amid a historic and nuanced youth mental health crisis which finds nearly 45% of young people continuing to report mental health struggles while also largely reflecting on good mental wellbeing overall in their life. Technology can amplify these pressures, creating "digital tension" where online demands clash with wellbeing. Young Futures is tackling these challenges by strengthening social connection, easing digital pressures, equipping families with better tools, and amplifying youth agency, while the YF500 scales what works by empowering trusted adults and community leaders to create environments where young people can thrive with confidence, belonging, and purpose.
"We are proud to support Young Futures' bold vision," said Renee Wittemeyer, VP of Program Strategy at Pivotal Ventures, a foundational funder of Young Futures. "The YF500 provides not just capital, but also the community, skills, and platform that emerging leaders—particularly those from underrepresented communities—need to scale their impact and help young people thrive, online and off."
The YF500 model moves beyond transactional grantmaking by combining direct funding, capacity building, and community. Through national funding challenges co-designed with partners in the youth wellbeing space and informed by nationwide Youth Listening Tours, Young Futures provides grants exclusively to organizations led by young people or those built with deep youth partnerships. All funded innovators participate in the YF Academy, a five-month accelerator offering expert coaching in fundraising, storytelling, and scaling for sustainable growth.
"Young Futures understands that the complex challenges of growing up in a digital world cannot be solved by one organization alone. It requires a coordinated, ecosystem-wide effort," said Kevin Connors from the Susan Crown Exchange, a foundational funder of Young Futures. "Their approach to finding and fueling grassroots innovation is exactly what the field needs to create lasting change."
Starting in October with the launch of its "Oops!.. AI Did It Again" challenge on AI and youth wellbeing, Young Futures will embark on a five-year grantmaking strategy, which includes rapid response funding rounds and further thematic challenges in the years to follow.
To learn more about upcoming open funding challenges and partnership opportunities, visit www.youngfutures.org.
Media Contact
Brooke Messaye, Young Futures, 1 3232406653, [email protected], https://www.youngfutures.org/
SOURCE Young Futures
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