Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

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OVERVIEW: This funder prioritizes grantmaking for youth in Los Angeles County. More specifically, it funds education enrichment, mentoring, youth leadership, and early learning/literacy causes.

IP TAKE: Most funding is program support, but general operating support is regularly offered, too. Overall, this is a funder that seeks grantees that respond to the evolving needs of their communities and communicate their purpose and goals succinctly. In practice, the fund seeks to be flexible in its grantmaking, accessible to grantees and applicants, and open-minded in its approach. Pitch a youth program that teaches kids to be leaders and get engaged in Los Angeles communities.

PROFILE: The Dwight Stuart Youth Fund (DSYF) has been a grantmaking arm of the Stuart Foundation since 2010. However, it was originally established in 2001 by Dwight L. Stuart, Sr., who passed away in 1998, to support children and youth in the Greater Los Angeles area. It seeks to “support organizations that provide direct services and experiences to underserved children and youth so they may gain the skills, values, and confidence to achieve their potential.” There are four funding areas: education enrichment, mentoring, leadership, and school readiness.

Grants for K-12 Education

The DSYF education enrichment funding area supports well-rounded programs that take place before, during, and after school. It goes beyond pure academics and also supports arts & culture and community activities to teach skills and values. These are some of the sub-areas of education funding:

  • Sports and Recreation

  • Visual and Performing Arts

  • Cultural Enrichment

  • Homework Assistance and Tutoring

  • Language Arts and Literacy

  • Creative Writing

  • Field Trips and Camps

  • Career Guidance and Youth Employment

  • College Readiness and Educational Planning

The fund’s mentoring program connects kids and adults through long-term relationships that foster guidance and life skills. These are some of the mentoring programs that see the fund’s support:

  • Adult-Youth Mentoring

  • Team Mentoring

  • Peer Mentoring

  • Apprenticeships / Internships

Leadership grants typically support nonprofit programs that teach kids to be leaders, rather than guide adults into becoming better leaders. Such programs include:

  • Youth Advocacy

  • Youth Organizing

  • Skills Development: Leadership, Written and Oral Communication

  • Programs Run by Youth

  • Community Service

  • Peer Counseling

  • Peer Education

And finally, DSYF’s school readiness focus area supports pre-schoolers between the ages of two and five. These are the types of programs that the fund supports to build individualized curriculum, provide safe learning environments, and respect the culture of the community:

  • Cognitive Development

  • Language Development

  • Emotional Development

  • Literacy

Regardless of the focus area, this funder does all of its grantmaking in Los Angeles County. DSYF regularly provides project/program support and sustainability support, and looks for groups that collaborate with other similar services to reduce duplication. DSYF will not fund individuals, private foundations, building/capital campaigns, unrestricted endowments, medical and health programs, and all programs outside Los Angeles County.

DSYF also specializes in capacity building to enhance nonprofit functioning in areas like management, human resources, technology, and finance. These capacity building efforts are often directed at neighborhood-based nonprofit challenged by hard economic times.

Important Grant Details

To start the application process, nonprofits should submit a letter of inquiry. DSYF accepts letters all throughout the year and reviews them in the order they are received. Nonprofits can reapply for support any time after the final report due date and upon submitting a final report. View a list of past grantees by year and corresponding program on the foundation website.

Periodically check out the foundation’s Resources section for upcoming events, trainings, and publications. Direct general inquiries to the staff at 310-777-5050 or submit via online contact form.

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