The Scott County Youth Grantmaking Council (?YGC?) is accepting grant applications to fund youth-related projects in the community. The YGC has $4,700 from the Scott County Youth Grantmaking Council Fund and the Terry Fewell Memorial Youth Fund that it may award to projects that benefit youth in Scott County. The maximum amount per request is $800, and grants must be for nonprofit organizations or other charitable causes.

Programs that the YGC will look favorably on will focus on the following four areas: community service (to support programs related to community development, citizen involvement, recreation, and general community programs and projects); social service (to support human service organizations, programs for children, youth, family, and senior citizens); health (to support programs that promote healthy environments for the youth of Scott County), education (to support programs, projects, and scholarship in pre-school, secondary, post-secondary, and special education areas), art (to support the growth and development of youth appreciation for the arts and culture) and leadership (to support the growth of youth leadership abilities). However, consideration of grant requests will not be limited to those areas.

Applications are due Friday, February 28, 2014 at 3 p.m. Interviews will take place this spring at the Lifelong Learning Center on Community Way in Scottsburg. Those selected by the YGC for interviews will be contacted.

The YGC, a program of the Scott County Community Foundation, is made up of students from throughout the community who hold regular meetings, discuss ideas and hold events to raise money, and then give grants to the community for youth-related projects. The goals of the YGC are to provide opportunities for leadership development, provide positive peer support, learn about philanthropy and serving the community, form a partnership with other youth and adults, and grow the Scott County Youth Grantmaking Council Endowment Fund for the future.

Last year, the YGC awarded $3,400 in grants to Austin High School Dimensions Show Choir, Austin Middle School, Lexington Good Faith Preschool, Scott County 4-H, Scottsburg Middle School Archery Team, Scottsburg High School Archery Team and United Way of Scott County for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. The YGC has awarded almost $28,000 since its inception several years ago.

The application can be completed online, and is available here. You may contact Jaime Toppe at the Scott County Community Foundation with any questions, by calling 752-2057, email info@www.scottcountyfoundation.org or stopping in the office at 60 N. Main St., Scottsburg.