The Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) is making $150,000 available for projects that benefit basin youth this winter, and the first monthly deadline for applications arrives on Friday (December 1).

“We confirmed in our 2011-2015 Youth Initiatives Strategic Plan that we wanted to continue to support a range of opportunities that allow youth to engage with their communities and one another,” said Sabrina Curtis, CBT Director, Sector Initiatives in a release. “These two granting programs will make funds available for more youth projects.”

The most immediate grant category, Youth Action Grants (YAG), funds projects that demonstrate youth-led action with positive outcomes. Youth aged 12 to 19 can apply for up to $3,000 for projects, and there will be monthly intakes beginning on December 1. The second grant, Columbia Basin Youth Grants (CBYG), funds projects that directly benefit basin youth aged 12 to 29 for up to $15,000. Qualifying applicants for CBYG include registered non-profit organizations, school districts, First Nations organizations and local governments, as well as youth aged 15 to 29 with a sponsoring organization. The first deadline for applications to the CBYG is December 17. Applications for grants can be found at www.cbt.org/cbyg, and www.cbt.org/yag, respectively.

Applications to both programs are adjudicated by the CBT’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), a group of youth aged 15 to 29 from across the Basin. CBT youth liaison Michelle d’Entremont said the group provides a valuable service not only for the CBT in gaining a youth voice for their organization, but also to the youth themselves, who gain valuable experience.