The 2025–2026 Give Next program year was one of growth, generosity, and meaningful engagement. With 33 classrooms participating from Estes Park, Thompson, and Poudre School Districts, more than 650 students engaged in conversations about local needs, connected with peers and local nonprofit staff, and made real grantmaking decisions.
Fifty-six teachers helped guide students through program components including learning about local issues, developing classroom mission statements, evaluating nonprofit applications, and making funding decisions that directly impact Northern Colorado communities.
And students didn’t stop at grantmaking. Seventeen classrooms also took on fundraising activities of their own, collectively raising an additional $12,300 to invest back into the community. Combined with $165,000 in donor-supported Give Next funding and nearly $11,000 in matching dollars from NoCo Changemakers and NoCo Unify, students directed more than $188,300 in grants to local nonprofits this school year.
When including Give Next teacher-directed grants, provided by Bohemian Foundation, the program’s total community investment grew to more than $221,300 in 2025-2026.
Nonprofit participation also reflected the strength of community partnership:
- 55 nonprofits participated in a full day of activities at Kickoff Day
- 88 nonprofits applied for Give Next funding and opened their doors to learning
- Students ultimately awarded 93 total grants to 41 nonprofits
Beyond the Numbers
While the scale of investment into the community continues to grow, the impact of Give Next extends well beyond grant dollars.
Students are not only learning about their communities, they are stepping into leadership in ways that continue to evolve each year.
Ashley, a multi-year Give Next student and Youth Advisory Committee member, found the power of her voice through the program, stepping into leadership roles at her school, and participating on panels in front of more than 150 adults to share her experiences. What began as an interest in giving back has grown into confidence and leadership in her community.
Owen’s three-year journey in Give Next at Lesher Middle School reflects a different kind of leadership, one grounded in persistence and advocacy for the issue he cares about most: combatting food insecurity. Over time, his continued focus on addressing local food insecurity, and hearing from McBackpack during a nonprofit interview in 2024, inspired his peers to award a $2,000 Give Next grant at his school to support the organization in 2026.
Student participants are also rethinking what impact looks like beyond funding decisions. After selecting Hearts & Horses for a grant, students from Timnath Middle School chose to volunteer with the organization, extending their learning into direct service and deepening their connection to the work.
This year also marked a first for the program. Students from High Plains Middle School participated in Give Next’s first-ever youth site visit to Crossroads Safehouse, engaging directly with staff and seeing firsthand how they engage with and serve clients.
And the grants themselves are creating tangible, immediate outcomes:
- Give Next funding to Outreach Fort Collins is covering a full year of supplies needed for staff outreach backpacks, and
- A grant to Abundance Foundation helped cover costs for the first three women moving into a newly established sober living facility in Loveland.
Across the region, organizations are leveraging Give Next funding to meet urgent and emerging needs in the impact areas they serve. And year after year, Give Next offers a window into the issues young people care about most.
For the 10th consecutive year, Mental Health & Wellbeing remained the top-funded student-selected impact area, reflecting students’ continued focus on emotional wellbeing and access to care.
Economic Mobility followed closely behind, with students deeply engaged in conversations around food insecurity, housing, and financial stability. Safety & Justice programming and Youth & Family initiatives also continued to receive support, alongside Climate & Sustainability efforts.
These funding decisions are not made lightly. They reflect thoughtful discussion, classroom collaboration, and a growing understanding of complex, interconnected social issues.
Give Next post-program survey data reinforces what we are seeing in classrooms:
- 84% of students felt their ideas and opinions were valued
- 78% felt inspired to contribute to their community
- 74% reported gaining knowledge about complex social issues
Connection and belonging also emerged as key outcomes, with approximately three-quarters of students reporting stronger connections to peers, their schools, and their broader community.
14 Years of Program Impact
As Give Next closes this program year and prepares to enter its 15th year in the community, the program’s long-term impact continues to grow.
Since 2012, more than 5,300 students across 324 classrooms have participated in the program, helping invest $1.56 million into local nonprofits through 873 grants. Of that total, $181,000 has come directly from student-led fundraising efforts.
These numbers tell an important story, but they only begin to capture the full impact of the program across Larimer County. Each classroom is not solely moving through program components, students are actively shaping the impact they wish to see.
Join the Give Next Donor Community
This year, more than 45 local donors supported Give Next classroom grants, helping create meaningful opportunities for student engagement, learning, and community impact, reflecting a shared belief in the power of young people to lead positive change in their communities.
Give Next is about more than student grantmaking. It’s about building a culture of giving, youth leadership, and inspiring young people to take action across Larimer County.
Join our community of donors and support the next generation of leaders making an impact across the region.