YAC
What is the YAC?
In 1989, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation conceived an idea to help seed community foundations throughout Michigan if the local foundation agreed to establish a permanent youth fund and a Youth Advisory Council (YAC). They wanted to help create a strong philanthropic training ground for youth and, in a few short years, over 86 YACs were formed across Michigan. The goal was to help young people learn generosity and leadership and, at the same time, build stronger and more caring communities.
The Youth Advisory Council is a special “youth as grantmakers” project of the Community Foundation for Mason County. The YAC is made up of student representatives from Mason County schools and supported by adult advisors. The YAC engages young people in solving real problems affecting their communities and peers. This group of young people is Mason County’s own local panel of experts regarding youth issues who provide recommendations to the Community Foundation’s board of directors about grants to be awarded from the fund each year. The YAC meets monthly during the school year to carry out their work.
What Does YAC Do?
Needs Assessment
Every three years, YAC conducts a needs assessment to identify the community issues most important to young people living in Mason County. The findings from the needs assessment are used to guide the YAC’s grantmaking decisions. In the fall of 2024, a youth needs assessment was completed in our community. Based on assessment results, the following were identified as areas of priority for our local youth:
- Youth Mental Health
- Managing Academic Stress
- Youth Substance Use Prevention
- Home Life
- Bullying/Cyberbullying
Grantmaking
YAC members help guide distribution of grants to promising youth-related projects in Mason County. Every fall, they review teacher mini-grant applications to support local educators with classroom projects. Each spring, they review applications and award funding to organizations that support youth based on the identified priorities. Since its inception, our YAC has awarded over $300,000 in grants to local youth projects.
Service
Each year, the YAC selects a local service project in which to participate. During the 2025-2026 program year, the YAC chose to participate in the Festival of Trees to benefit the United Way. At our annual retreat, members made ornaments for the “Love our Community ” themed tree.