Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Canada (YPI)
The Surrey Food Bank is proud to support the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), a transformative program that empowers young people to make a real difference in their communities.
What is YPI?
- An Idea: YPI believes that grant making can be both inclusive and transformative for communities and youth.
- A Program: YPI connects youth, schools, charities, and funders to support social services through grants and public awareness.
- A Platform: YPI serves as a space for meaningful interactions between people and the social purpose sector.
How YPI Works YPI is offered in secondary schools across Canada as a marked project within any mandatory course. The program is inclusive, engaging all students in a grade level. In teams, students explore social issues impacting their community, select a charity to research and visit, and present their findings. The top presentations advance to the YPI Final, where a youth-led panel of judges selects one winning team to receive a $5,000 grant for the charity they represented.
Students are given real responsibility and decision-making power throughout the process—real people, real world, real funding.
YPI’s Impact Since its inception in 2002, YPI has directed over $17 million in grants to community-based charities across Canada, the UK, and New York, driven entirely by the decisions of over 500,000 informed and empowered secondary students.
How the Surrey Food Bank Supports YPI At the Surrey Food Bank, we actively participate in YPI by providing presentations and tours for students, giving them a deeper understanding of our work. We also offer volunteering opportunities, allowing students to contribute directly to our mission. We are proud to support the schools in Surrey and North Delta with this incredible initiative. For more information about YPI, visit Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Canada.