YouthFund
The YouthFund Ecosystem
Money alone stalls. So we lead with people.
Most programs hand you a check and wish you luck. We do it the other way around: first we put people in your corner — a hero every month, open to any high schooler who signs up — and then, for the fellows we select, a cohort stays with you while we fund what you build.
Pillar one
Funding
Micro-grants for student-led initiatives — enough to actually launch something, small enough that we can say yes often.
- Up to $2,000 per initiative
- Applications reviewed in rounds; the current round closes February 1, 2027
- No GPA minimum, no citizenship requirement
- No essay contest — tell us the idea
Pillar two
Monthly Hero Talk
Everyone is welcome, founders and founders-to-be. Already running a project, or just curious whether you could? This is for you: no application, no screening — sign up and you’re in. Every month, an Ivy Plus hero — a founder, researcher, or professional — tells you how it really went — a different hero each month, a different piece of the journey each time.
- A new hero every month, with live Q&A
- Every talk is hosted and moderated by our founder, Ariel Zhu, and is never recorded
- Free, online, open to all — where you live decides nothing
- Sign up once; each month we email you the next talk, and you register for the ones you want
For selected fellows, one thing never rotates: your cohort. You build together, funded.
No matter where you are, or where you’re from. Hero Talks happen online, so a student in Queens and a student who arrived in this country last year get the same hero, the same hour, the same month. Your zip code and your passport decide nothing here.
What a Hero Talk actually gets you
Their real journey
Not the polished bio — the detours, the rejections, and what they'd do differently. The version nobody puts on LinkedIn.
Career advice that fits you
Which majors actually lead where, which internships are worth your summer, and how to ask for the thing you want.
How to build something
Scoping an idea, finding your first ten people, budgeting, and knowing when to change course instead of pushing harder.
Someone in your corner
Heroes rotate; one person doesn’t. For our fellows, our founder is there all year, remembers what you said last time, and asks how it went. So does your cohort. For a lot of students, that’s the rarest part.
How the ecosystem closes
Sign up
Open to every high schooler. Once you’re on the list, we email you each month’s Hero Talk and you register for the ones you want.
Bring an idea & apply
Any project you want to build for your school or community. Rough is fine. If it’s a fit, you join the cohort, with your peers and the YouthFund team alongside you.
Build it, funded
Money follows the plan you build with us, alongside your cohort.
Come back as a hero
Our fellows come back to speak to the next cohort. That’s what makes it an ecosystem instead of a grant.
You're at one of the most consequential stretches of your life. You shouldn't have to navigate it by yourself.
Hero Talks free and open to every high school student — founders and founders-to-be · Funding by application · Questions? hello@youth-fund.org
What we ask of everyone in the room.
Hero Talks and our community are a space for honest conversation. Speakers share real stories, including the ones that didn't go to plan, and students ask real questions. To keep it that way:
Chatham House Rule
Use what you learn here. Don't share who said it, or which school, company, or organization they're from, outside the YouthFund community.
Nothing is recorded
No recordings, no screenshots, no reposting.
Respect the room
Respect your heroes, your peers, and this community. Every question is a good question, and every story deserves a generous ear.
Come curious
Bring an open mind and your questions. The best Hero Talks are the ones where students ask the most.