Nile Rodgers' We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) created the Youth To The Front Fund (YTTFF) to support and fund under 30-year-old BIPOC-centered youth activists, youth-led organizations, projects, innovations and creative solutions that are at the forefront of fighting systemic racism, inequality and injustice in the United States and around the world.
Initially funded by the WAFF Board of Directors, Walton Family Foundation and SAP joined the effort, funding USA and global grantees respectively. YTTFF is not a one-off response to George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent global outrage, but rather an ongoing sustainable commitment.
WAFF is proud to announce the inaugural YTTFF “Frontliner” grantees, representing 7 states in the USA and 10 countries on 4 continents. Carefully selected and curated from hundreds of applicants, these twenty (20) Frontliners, aged 13 – 28 years-old are fighting racial and systemic injustice by collectively reimagining technologies, education, community health and wellness, arts and social justice to positively impact and shape future generations.
“The world is finally acknowledging and demanding that the pandemic of systemic racism, inequality and injustice that has survived and thrived for hundreds of years, needs to be eradicated – and our youth are on the front lines of finding the cure. Frontliners, welcome to the family!” – Nile Rodgers
“SAP has been supporting young changemakers in partnership with We Are Family Foundation since 2015, and we continue to be inspired by the innovators stepping forward, in this case through the Youth To The Front Fund. It is truly an honor to play a role in accelerating their incredible organizations.” – Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at SAP.
The 2020 Youth To The Front Fund Frontliners are: Akhera Williams (19, UK), Arthur Lima (28, Brazil), Bernadette Lim (26, USA), Blessing Mary Ocheido (28, Nigeria), Claris Nadini (23, Kenya), Elizabeth Zalanga (25, USA), Glenn Foster (20, USA), Grace Callwood (16, USA), Jaychele Nicole Schenck (16, USA), Kavita Rai (19, USA), Khloe Thompson (13, USA), Louise Kanza (27, South Africa), Modesta Joseph (21, Tanzania), Pearl Odigwe (27, Italy), Riana Shah (28, USA), Serisha Iyar (25, Canada), Steph Niaupari (28, USA), Tamir Harper (20, USA), Vanessa Chisakula (28, Zambia) and Wango Ivone Pamela (21, Kenya).
Applications for Youth To The Front Fund’s second cycle are open until December 30, 2020, 11:59pm EST.
