WACF Youth Council Awards $15,000 in Grants to Support Local Youth

The Watertown Area Community Foundation’s Youth Council has awarded $15,000 in grants to nine organizations serving youth across the Watertown area.

The Youth Council, made up of local high school juniors and seniors, reviews community needs, visits nonprofit organizations, and makes funding decisions focused on improving opportunities for young people.

This year’s grant recipients include:

• Beacon Center – $1,800 to support the Healthy Relationships Project curriculum
• Boys & Girls Club of Watertown – $1,295 for supplies for a summer gardening program in partnership with Coteau Prairie Master Gardeners
• Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton – $2,000 to provide youth transportation through the “Dawg Days of Summer” program
• Goss Opera House – $2,000 to support a free summer youth theater residency with Missoula Children’s Theatre
• Interlakes Community Action Partnership (ICAP) – $1,905 for outdoor play equipment at Head Start
• Joy Ranch of South Dakota – $2,000 to support Young Timber Camp for at-risk boys ages 11–14
• Watertown Area Foster Closet – $2,000 for teen clothing and essential supplies for youth in foster care
• Watertown Cares – $1,000 for bus tokens supporting residents experiencing homelessness
• Watertown Police Department – $1,000 to support Camp Chance

The Youth Council promotes philanthropy, leadership, and community awareness among young people. Current members include seniors Siri Bach, Leila Byer, and Whitney Martinsen, and juniors Abby Kruger, Kate McElroy, and Owen Muller.

Throughout their two-year term, students engage with local nonprofits, hear from community leaders, and take part in a structured grantmaking process. A key part of their work includes conducting a “youth perspective” needs assessment to better understand and prioritize the challenges facing young people in the community.

“This year’s grant meeting went really well,” said senior member Siri Bach. “We were able to use what we learned from our needs assessment and our visits with local nonprofits to make granting decisions we feel confident in. It’s rewarding to see how those dollars will make a real difference.”

Since its founding in 2001, the Youth Council has awarded more than $233,000 in grants to youth-serving organizations, with 78 students having served on the council.

As the program approaches its 25th anniversary in 2026–2027, the Foundation looks forward to celebrating the impact of Youth Council with alumni, along with the whole community, while continuing to invest in the next generation of community leaders.