January 6, 2011; Source: Marketplace | Young people are getting more involved in higher-end philanthropic decision-making says American Public Media’s business and finance radio program, Marketplace. “They’re sitting on foundation boards and allocating grant money to nonprofits,” the show reports.

The story goes on to talk about one of a number of such efforts NPQ has heard about lately, a six month program that engages teens http://sfjcf.wordpress.com/tag/teens/ in strategic grantmaking and a reflection process as preparation for their own giving in the future.

This program, run by the Jewish Community Foundation is located in the Bay Area. Last year the group of 25 teens raised $177,000, which they then distributed to 25 nonprofit groups. The process integrates the use of the web to research organizations and issues and encourages discussions of priorities.

A few months ago, NPQ did a newswire on a philanthropist who had deeply invested his own money in such programs, stating that it greatly increased the value of the money to involve young people in giving.—Aaron Lester and Ruth McCambridge