A Launchpad for Youth-Led Social Change.

We envision a world where every young person with a powerful idea has the resources, mentorship, and confidence to turn it into action—and impact.

How it works.

Apply

Propose your project. Get the backing to make it real.

If you're a teen and have an idea to solve a real problem, apply for a grant:

  • Open Cycles: Submit any impact project idea

  • Challenge Cycles: Solve problems tied to themes like mental health, climate, or community equity

Selected students receive a micro-grant of $250–$500 to launch their idea.

Build

We don’t just fund you—we help you build momentum.

Every grant recipient receives:

  • Access to the Idea to Impact digital toolkit

  • A community of support to encourage and challenge your thinking

  • Light mentorship to guide your early steps

Our goal: help you design and test a pilot and amplify real world impact.

Launch

You’ll lead your project and learn through doing.

Here’s how you’ll demonstrate impact:

  • Launch your initiative

  • Track your outcomes and reflect on your process

  • Share what you’ve learned and how it made a difference

Exceptional projects may be invited to present at a future youth summit or join as peer mentors for future cohorts.

Impact Framework.

Too often, young leaders and changemakers are left out of the conversation.
Traditional systems push on youth without inviting them to lead.
That changes now.
We believe in the potential of young people to demonstrate agency in solving real problems—and we’re here to give you the tools and funding to do it.

Venn diagram illustrating the fundamentals of Impact League, with three interconnected circles labeled agency, capacity building, and impact. Agency is represented with a brain icon, capacity building with a gear and checkmark icon, and impact with a hands holding the earth and a plant. Arrows indicate a continuous cycle among the concepts.

What Youth Are Saying.

“I truly believe that the work we did in this program is the reason why I have a full ride scholarship to my dream college. But much more importantly, through this program, I learned that I have the capacity to make real change in this world. I learned that systems can change and that I have the power to initiate that change.”

— Published Youth Mental Health Research through Impact League

“When you encouraged me to go for it and build out STAR, I didn't know it would become such a huge part of my life. I have taken everything I started building and implemented while studying at Duke, and STAR is bigger than ever. I am establishing similar goals and have already been reaching into the Durham county school system, and I have you to thank for all the inspiration years ago.”

— Built a Youth Literacy Non-Profit through Impact League

FAQs.

  • We support any project with a clear purpose, a real-world problem, and a meaningful proposed solution. This can range from mental health campaigns to climate initiatives, tech-for-good tools, equity-focused programs, and beyond.

  • Nope. You need a clear idea and a sense of the problem you're trying to solve. We’ll help you build the rest once you’re accepted.

  • Perfect. That’s exactly who this is for. You don’t need prior experience—just curiosity, creativity, and commitment. We’ll provide support every step of the way.

  • Yes! You can apply solo or as a small team. Just make sure your application clearly outlines roles and how you’ll work together.

  • Nope!

  • You’ll track your impact, reflect on your progress, and share what you learned. Some students may be invited to present at a future Youth Summit or serve as peer mentors in future challenge cycles.