YF500: Building a Youth Wellbeing Ecosystem

Summary

In 2025, Young Futures (YF) committed to providing direct funding and organizational support to 500 nonprofit leaders in the United States by the end of 2030 to transform a fragmented field at the intersection of youth, technology, and mental health into a connected and impactful ecosystem, ultimately serving more than 60 million young people. In scaling their model that strengthens the ecosystem of support around youth, YF will distribute $25 million in direct funding in partnership with aligned funders. All 500 changemakers receiving funding will participate in the YF Academy, a five-month accelerator designed to strengthen their leadership and organizational health through expert coaching and peer support in fundraising strategy, organizational scaling, and sustainable growth.To amplify this work, YF will operate YF Studio, its in-house storytelling engine that will create content that shifts narratives and deepens public understanding of the impact of technology on youth.

Approach

Young Futures (YF) commits to resourcing and supporting 500 nonprofit leaders to transform a fragmented field at the intersection of youth, technology, and mental health into a connected and impactful ecosystem. Through the YF500, YF will scale their model to combine direct funding for 500 nonprofits with field-building infrastructure and storytelling to shift both outcomes and how the youth wellbeing ecosystem functions.
To meet the growing demand for early-stage support, YF will co-design a series of national funding challenges in partnership with aligned funders. YF only funds nonprofits that are either led by young people, or can demonstrate that they are closely partnering with young people in the development of their programs and/or solutions. Each challenge will surface bold, nonprofit solutions- expanding the reach of trusted, community-rooted organizations. Each nonprofit may receive between $25,000-$100,000 per grant term. Funders will help shape themes, align on shared outcomes, and support outreach—ensuring broad access and collaborative learning across sectors.
All 500 changemakers will participate in the YF Academy, a five-month accelerator designed to strengthen their leadership and organizational health. Each cohort will receive expert coaching and peer support in fundraising strategy, impact storytelling, organizational scaling, and sustainable growth. Sessions include masterclasses, 1:1 mentorship, office hours with sector leaders, and facilitated connection across the cohort to build a lasting network of support.
To amplify this work, YF will operate YF Studio, its in-house storytelling engine. YF Studio will create content that shifts narratives and deepens public understanding of youth and technology – producing grantee features, youth voice campaigns, toolkits, and thought leadership that spotlight what’s working and why it matters.
YF brings deep experience in challenge design, nonprofit capacity-building, and narrative change, along with trusted relationships across the youth mental health and tech ecosystem. Partners will contribute funding, thought partnership, and platform reach – building the collaborative infrastructure needed to scale bold solutions and support the next generation of youth-serving leaders.

Action Plan

Young Futures will implement a five-year strategy to scale the YF500, raise $50 million to sustain its ecosystem-building work, and deliver support to 500 nonprofit Innovators The road to 500 will include a combination of thematic funding challenges, rapid response challenges, YF Studio Fellowships, and YF Awards.
2025-2026: YF will launch at minimum 2 additional challenges, closing out 2025 focused on AI and youth wellbeing. Begin quarterly funder learning sessions to share insights from past funding challenges. Onboard upwards of 20 new YF Innovators into the YF Academy and open nominations for its 2026 YF Awards. This will culminate with the first-of-its-kind ecosystem event, the YF Block Party in May 2026.
2026-2027: Expand grantmaking to feature a minimum of two thematic challenges and a rapid response challenge. Award and onboard 80 new YF Innovators to YF Academy. Onboard three YF Studio Fellows and announce 30 new YF Award recipients at the YF Block Party.
2027-2029: Continued execution of three funding challenges per year, YF Studio Fellowships, and YF Awards at the YF Block Party. Begin expansion of YF Academy to include sponsored seats. Onboard approximately 120 YF Innovators every year.

Background

Over the past several years, young people have faced alarming increases in mental health challenges. Four in ten high school students and more than half of female students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (CDC, 2023) . Technology often amplifies these pressures, yet it can also serve as a release valve (Common Sense Media & Center for Digital Thriving, 2024) . Today’s youth live in a state of digital tension – the internal conflict that arises when the demands of digital life clash with well-being, responsibilities, or in-person connection.
But the field knows what works. When teens feel cared for, they are twice as likely to find meaning in their lives and half as likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety (Surgo Health, 2024) . Relationships are the intervention, and they’re most often delivered by the ecosystem around youth: educators, mentors, coaches, creators, counselors, and local nonprofit leaders.
Young Futures strengthens that ecosystem. Their model funds and supports a wide range of early-stage, community-rooted nonprofits, especially those led by and serving communities of color, rural youth, and digitally native teens. Instead of betting on a single solution, Young Futures invests in many, recognizing that relevance, trust, and access are local.
This approach has proven effective in public health. The global HIV/AIDS response succeeded by empowering thousands of grassroots organizations, peer educators, and health workers to drive change community by community. Similarly, in Blue Zones – regions with the longest life expectancies – health is shaped not by one intervention, but by coordinated efforts across schools, restaurants, faith groups, city planners, and local nonprofits.
Young Futures believes youth digital wellbeing demands the same. By resourcing the ecosystem, YF doesn’t just fund programs – YF creates the conditions for belonging, resilience, and long-term impact.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

Young Futures invites partners to join to contribute capital, nominate grantees, and raise awareness of its efforts.,YF commits to collecting and sharing best practices and lessons learned in supporting youth-led, youth-centered solutions that impact wellbeing in today’s digital world. This includes hosting quarterly funder learning sessions and continued co-development of challenges with partners across sectors. YF will also uplift and amplify relevant new research and evidence-based solutions directly to teens and their families.