Allen Family Philanthropies invests in arts & culture because we believe that arts & cultural experiences contribute to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others, helping to foster connections and strengthen communities.

The Creative Youth Development Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to advance equitable access to high-quality creative youth development programs, for Washington youth ages 13 to 26. The RFP aims to support programs that specifically utilize arts and culture as a tool to develop artistic skills, strengthen wellbeing through creative expression, and increase civic engagement. 

Eligible community-serving nonprofit organizations and Tribal entities may apply for up to $500k over three years. A total of $5M will be available to fund 10-12 organizations via this RFP.

What is Creative Youth Development?

Creative Youth Development (CYD) is an approach that enables young people to develop artistic and leadership capabilities, advance wellbeing, and connect with their communities and the world around them. CYD programs are diverse, spanning artistic disciplines such as film, various forms of dance, visual arts from photography to sculpture, musical composition to performance, and creative writing. Traditional and contemporary cultural traditions are also recognized within the practice of CYD, including but not limited to beadwork, dance, language preservation, storytelling, weaving, and wood carving.

Opportunity Overview

This new funding opportunity, offered by Allen Family Philanthropies, supports existing (not new) efforts that provide youth with CYD experiences, with priority support for projects that serve youth who have limited access to quality arts and cultural experiences. Programs must work with youth ages 13-26 during out-of-school-time programs that are driven by youth interests and influences and delivered by teaching artists. 

Allen Family Philanthropies recognizes that there are many approaches that could be effective in advancing the goals of the RFP and encourages organizations that meet the eligibility and review criteria to apply. We are particularly interested in programs that serve youth communities outside of King County and within Washington State.

Review Criteria

We anticipate receiving a high volume of LOIs and strongly encourage prospective applications to consider their ability to meet the following review criteria. The most competitive LOIs will strongly demonstrate their ability to meet the below criteria. All LOIs will be reviewed for eligibility and potential to advance the goals of this RFP.

• Youth development - Youth actively build and apply creative, social-emotional, and civic engagement skills; robust opportunities to apply those skills exist in the program. Program offers a safe, supportive environment and incorporates youth voice and leadership in design and implementation.

• Creative arts learning - Program offers intentional, progressive arts skill-building instruction led by teaching artists that follows a defined curriculum aligned with clear outcomes. Emphasizes group learning, artistic growth, and applied creativity.

• Organizational capacity and program feasibility - Organization has delivered the program for five or more years. The team implements continuous improvement opportunities that are informed by evidence and by youth. The team has strong experience delivering youth arts programs. Organization coordinates professional development and other resources for teaching artists. The program demonstrates strong financial support.

• Community engagement and connections - All aspects of program design and implementation reflect deep understanding of and partnership with the communities it is intended to serve. Youth have opportunities to engage with the community while developing and presenting their work.

• Arts access and program reach - Program is offered in areas with minimal access to diverse arts engagement opportunities. Program demonstrates engagement of youth who are underrepresented in arts participation. Serves a substantial number of youth outside of school time.

We will consider proposals for grant awards of up to $500,000 for each project, with a grant term of up to three years. Indirect costs may be included and will be considered for up to 10% of the total proposed project budget.