Express Yourself Challenge Grant

Express Yourself Challenge Grant is a grant from the Young Futures Fund that funds bold, youth-co-designed solutions helping girls, boys, and trans- and gender-expansive young people build confidence, belonging, and agency in a digitally shaped world. The program focuses on addressing "digital tension"—the conflict between wanting to disconnect from digital life and the social and practical realities of being online. A minimum of $1.

5 million will be distributed across 10 or more organizations. Eligible applicants are U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits, fiscally sponsored projects, or tax-exempt schools and districts whose solutions are co-led or co-designed by young people. Individual awards range from $50,000 to $100,000.

The application deadline is May 19, 2026 at 5 PM PT.

Express Yourself Challenge | Young Future Supporting bold solutions that help girls, boys and trans- and gender-expansive young people build confidence, belonging, and agency in a digitally shaped world. ‍ May 19, 2026 , 5 PM PT/ 8 PM ET This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. The Express Yourself Challenge Series will distribute a minimum of $1.

5M+ in grants across 10+ organizations, with individual awards ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. As gender and digital life become increasingly intertwined, young people are navigating identity, belonging, pressure, and safety in real time — shaped not just by culture, but by algorithms, recommendation feeds, and platform norms.

This challenge exists to back solutions that help young people develop a strong sense of self — online and offline — while navigating digital tension. Digital tension is the internal conflict between wanting to disconnect from digital life and the social, emotional, and practical realities that make being online unavoidable. We’re looking for solutions that meet that tension head-on.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Challenge Eligibility Quiz Is your organization based in the United States? Yes No This is some text inside of a div block.

Is your organization a registered 501(c)(3), fiscally sponsored project, or school/district with tax-exempt status? Yes No This is some text inside of a div block. Is your solution co-led or co-designed by young people?

Yes No This is some text inside of a div block. Does your organization either a) have minor protection policies in place or b) work exclusively with adults and not directly with young people? Yes No This is some text inside of a div block.

Can your organization commit to submitting all materials in English and agree not to use funds for lobbying? Yes No This is some text inside of a div block. Can you designate an Executive Director, CEO, or equivalent leader to participate in the YF Academy, and can that leader commit ~10 hours per month for 5 months starting in January 2027?

Yes No This is some text inside of a div block. But your organization does not pass our eligibility checks for this challenge at this time. Your Organization Is Eligible to Apply!

Your organization passes our eligebility checks for applying to this challenge, click below to fill out the application form. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Oops!

Something went wrong while submitting the form. The Big Bro Foundation, founded by Scott Mescudi, supports and uplifts youth — especially Black youth — facing mental health challenges by working to break the stigma around mental illness, increase access to resources and care, and support young leaders as catalysts for healing, growth, and transformation in their own communities.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. The Express Yourself Challenge is organized into three gender-specific tracks. These are lenses, not limits.

Choosing a track means identifying the population your work is designed for and the unique pressures they face. For example, we recognize that a trans boy is a boy, and that the supports best suited to him may look different than those designed for a cis boy. Applicants should choose the track that most closely reflects the lived experience of the young people they serve.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Download the "Girl on Fire" RFP In partnership with Kid Cudi and the Big Bro Foundation , this is for the boy who's struggling but doesn't have the language for it; who wants connection but has been handed a script that makes it harder to ask.

This track is for solutions that help adolescent boys broaden masculinity, build emotional awareness, and find genuine belonging. Download the "In My Dreams" RFP For the young person who has to defend their existence before they can even begin to explore it. This track is for solutions that help trans- and gender-expansive young people thrive as exactly who they are, with the safety, visibility, and community to make that happen.

Download the "Just The Way Your Are" RFP Prospective Applicant Info Session ( Register Here ) April 30, 2026 10:00-11:00 am PT Full Application Submission (For Invited Semi-Finalists) August 11-September 10, 2026 YF Innovators Selected & Announced January, Date & Location TBC Have additional questions about this challenge?

This challenge is made possible by: With additional support from our ecosystem partner: Through our Funding Challenges we provide resources to youth-focused nonprofits pushing bold new ideas that ease digital pressures and strengthen youth wellbeing. Navigating Gender Pressure Online. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag.

Reimagining play as a pathway to wellbeing. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Beglonging in a hyperconnected world.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Reimagining phone use in schools by putting students at the center. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag.

Empowering teens to navigate a world reshaped by artificial intelligence. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Alleviating the pressures pre-teens and teens face in today's tech-driven world.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. We’re on a mission to make the digital world an easier place to grow up. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag.

Funding and scaling a community of 500 innovators across the nation. This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Investing in leaders and solutions to shift youth wellbeing.

This element couldn‘t be rendered because it may not support child elements, or it has an invalid tag. Frequently Asked Questions How many grants will Young Futures award in this round of funding? Young Futures anticipates awarding up to 20 organizations, one-year grants ranging in size from $25,000 to $100,00; a minimum total of up to $1M.

Award amounts will vary based on scope. The grant term will be November 15, 2026-November 14, 2027. What types of organizations are eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and fiscally sponsored projects with 501(c)(3) status. Collaborative proposals are welcomed. For example, a nonprofit with a partnership with another nonprofit or other entity is eligible to apply.

While all solutions must lead to outcomes that support youth wellbeing, and must be co-designed and/or co-led with young people, we welcome organizations that are helmed by leaders of all ages. Are there any restrictions on the use of funds? Grant recipients cannot use funds for lobbying or political activities as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

What types of projects are eligible for funding? We are looking for solutions that help young people navigate the pressures of digital life while building a stronger sense of self, safety, and belonging.

Eligible projects should address at least one of three core challenges—norm pressure and identity stress, harmful gendered narratives and content, or tech-facilitated harms and loss of safety—and should be designed specifically for one of our three tracks: girls, boys, or gender-expansive youth. Can we apply to more than one track, or serve multiple populations?

Each organization may submit one application total and must select a single track. If your work spans multiple gender populations, choose the track that most closely reflects your primary focus and the population you most directly serve. You don't need to exclude other young people from your program — but your application should make a clear case for one track.

Awarded organizations across all three tracks will join a shared cohort, so the learning will cross over regardless. Does my solution have to be explicitly digital, or just responsive to digital tension? Can organizations apply if they serve LGBTQ+ youth more broadly?

Yes. Sexual orientation is a meaningful lens within any of the three tracks. For example, if your work centers queer or lesbian girls as they navigate femininity online, you would apply to the Girl on Fire track.

The tracks are organized by gender, not sexual orientation. Choose based on the gender population your program is designed to serve. How do you define “co-led and co-designed by pre-teens and teens”?

We prioritize proposals that actively involve young people in the design and development process. This can mean direct input from youth in shaping the experience, participatory research methods, or ongoing feedback loops that ensure the project remains relevant and engaging to its intended audience. What counts as “early-stage but tested”?

Your solution should have been run with real young people — not just designed or piloted internally — and you should have something concrete to show for it. That could be a pilot with measurable outcomes, survey data showing shifts in confidence or belonging, or attendance and retention numbers suggesting young people are finding value. It doesn't need to be a randomized controlled trial.

What we're looking for is evidence that your solution works in practice, not just in theory. If you've been doing adjacent work for years but are proposing something meaningfully new, tell us that story — and show us the early signals that give you confidence it's working. What are the participation, reporting or evaluation requirements for funded projects?

Grant recipients, aka YF Innovators, will participate in the 5-month YF Academy spanning January-May 2027, including an all-expense-paid in-person retreat, and participation in Masterclasses, Operations Office Hours, and YF’s virtual community network on Slack. Designated YF Innovators must be 18+ to participate. Learn more about the YF Academy here .

Are you more interested in program proposals over requests for general operations funding? We’re open to both, and grantseekers will be asked to specify which type they are requesting. Project-specific funding supports a defined initiative that aligns with this challenge, while general operations funding provides flexible support for an organization’s broader mission.

You’re likely a good fit for project-specific funding if your proposed solution is one of multiple programs within a more established organization, especially if your other initiatives don’t directly align with this challenge’s focus. General operations funding may be a better fit if your proposed solution is both core to your organization’s mission and directly aligned with the focus of this challenge.

Can organizations apply more than once with different proposals? No, organizations may only submit one proposal for each Young Futures funding challenge. Young Futures will run multiple challenges centered on empowering pre-teens and teens to thrive in a tech-driven world.

Am I eligible to apply if I’ve recently applied to another Young Futures funding challenge? Yes! Prior applicants (with the exception of current Young Futures grant recipients with an active grant term) are eligible to apply to this funding challenge.

Complete our eligibility quiz, which will be available on our website beginning April 8, 2026. Upon successfully completing the quiz, you will be given a link to access the LOI. In it, you will be asked to include a video submission showcasing your solution.

A suggested format is provided on the application. What is the timeline for funding decisions, and how soon would funds be disbursed to selected projects? The application process has two phases: Phase 1: Letters of Intent (LOIs) will be accepted from April 8-May 19, 2026.

Phase 2: Selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals from June 17-July 8, 2026. Finalist interviews will take place August-September 2026. Awardees will be notified in October, and funds will be disbursed starting in November.