Youth Success

Co-creating equitable outcomes for all youth in our seven-county region.

Metro United Way is prioritizing educational attainment for school-age youth by focusing on three sectors: school, home, and community. We employ innovative tools and strategies that rely heavily on cross-sector partnerships to build healthy systems of support for youth and their families – especially those that have been underserved or not afforded the same opportunities.

Our strategies include:

  • ACADEMIC SUPPORTS to out-of-school time programs

    • Bridgeway tutoring initiative which curates learning activities that bridge the gaps in learning
    • Access to a trauma-informed learning curriculum called the Mindful Literacy Project through a partnership with local organization I Would Rather Be Reading

  • INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

    to community-based youth success network of nearly 200 organizations. This diverse group of providers are committed to high-quality learning and skill-building experiences and developing high-quality youth workers.

  • TRAINING and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    opportunities for youth workers. We provide support research-based and certified national and regional conferences and workshops, and host facilitators for current issues, needs, and topics in Youth Development.

  • ORGANIZATIONAL and CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORTS

    to youth programs including:

    • Program quality coaching
    • Access to research-based data tools that build staff knowledge and measure quality learning experiences and social emotional growth
    • Grant development and grant writing supports through a partnership with the Buttafly Group
    • Mental health supports such as Sister Circle – a facilitated support group for women of color youth workers – and access to individualized EAP services for youth workers via certified mental health professionals

Our Partners

Metro United Way Invests More Than $1 Million in Youth-Serving Organizations in Seven Counties

Metro United Way has announced it is investing $1,037,800 in youth-serving organizations across its seven-county region. With this investment, 37 organizations, 29 of which are BIPOC-led or grassroots organizations, will receive funding and more than 21,000 youth programming hours will be delivered, impacting more than 6,000 young people in year one.

The Youth Success Request for Proposals (RFP) was for a two-year general operating grant open to nonprofits that serve young people ages 6 to 24 in Metro United Way’s seven-county region: Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, and Bullitt counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana. Grants were awarded to organizations that have programs aligned with Metro United Way’s five strategies for Youth Success.

Numerous area organizations will be impacted by the Youth Success grants. One such organization is Out Loud Louisville, which will offer a safe space for youth of marginalized genders between the ages of 10-17 through a 6-day Summer Rock Camp. The youth will take lessons, form bands, write songs, record those songs, and perform them at a community showcase.

Also receiving investment is the ACE Project, which teaches young people how to run businesses. In Louisville, only 2.4% of businesses are Black-owned, and ACE endeavors to boost Black ownership through youth entrepreneurship. Another partner focusing on systems-level change is The Book Works, which will connect education advocates with 150 high-school-age learners who are “off course to graduation.” It will also create an initiative to connect middle and high school youth who have been suspended with neighborhood-based academic and community services.

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Youth Success RFP Recipients

2NOT1 Fatherhood & Families, Inc.
300FOR300
Academy of Music Production Education
ACE Project, Inc.
Americana Community Center
Backside Learning Center
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana
Black Minds Matter Louisville Inc.
Boys and Girls Club of Harrison – Crawford
Children Have Options in Choosing Experiences
Community Action of Southern Indiana
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Highland Park Community Development Corp
Kaylyn’s House of Joy, Inc.
Kentucky Refugee Ministries
La Casita Center
Life Development Corporation
Lighthouse Academy at Newburg
Louisville Central Community Centers Inc.
Neighborhood House, Inc.
Olive Tree Resources, Inc.
Out Loud Louisville
Project Community Center Inc.
Prominent Youth of America Inc.
Somali Community of Louisville
St. George’s Scholar Institute
Steam Exchange
TECH-Nique
The Book Works
Turnaround Resource Center, Inc.
University of Louisville Foundation, Inc.
Wesley House Community Services
West Louisville Math and Science Project
Worth the Words
YMCA of Greater Louisville, Inc.
Young Adult Development in Action, Inc.

This Past Year:

  • Nearly 200 organizations are engaged in the MUW’s Youth Success Network

  • MUW has provided 72 hours of training and professional development to 231 individuals representing 56 different organizations

  • 30 youth-serving organizations have received additional capacity-building supports

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