Comic Relief U.S. has announced a new grantmaking focus for its Red Nose Day Fund: youth empowerment. The pillar will support programs that expand economic opportunity for low-income youth and provide support for a new generation of young leaders to engage in social change.
“We believe in the power of youth to change their lives, communities and the wider world, and that every young person should be equipped with the necessary skills, opportunities and confidence to do so,” said Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief U.S. “The addition of empowerment as a core pillar of our grantmaking reflects our wider organizational commitment to programs that break the cycle of poverty, and we are thrilled to be partnering with organizations doing powerful work in this space.”
The organization kicked off this work with $1.6 million in initial investment from its Red Nose Day campaign, committed to a range of innovative partners working across the US and around the world. Grants within the Red Nose Day empowerment pillar focus on leadership development and economic mobility for young people, with investments in job training, job placement and microenterprise. Empowerment is a priority of Comic Relief US’s grantmaking to foster sustainable change and help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
The majority of recent grants within the new empowered pillar support organizations led by people of color, in alignment with Comic Relief U.S.’ deepened focus on racial equity and centering the voices of communities most impacted by poverty within its grantmaking, the organization said. This strategy is in recognition of the need for greater philanthropic investment in BIPOC-led organizations and the deepening inequities facing communities of color, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
