Healthy Community Initiative

by Mariana Cruz as a Guest Columnist for the Northfield News

Northfield YouthBank is a youth philanthropy organization dedicated to contributing to our town’s thriving and equitable community by providing grant money to organizations and individuals striving to make a change for the better in Northfield.

But what does positive change actually look like? During the 2025-2026 grant cycle, Northfield YouthBank had the pleasure of funding a grant to help expand access to American Sign Language (ASL) learning materials with the aim of bringing awareness to an often-overlooked community, funding a connection cafe that strives to destigmatize mental health, supporting a project to bridge the middle school and high school Black Student Unions, and in total granted out $2,200.

The Northfield YouthBank organization is incredibly proud of all 83 youth-led projects it has funded since its inception in 2016, but the program could not be what it is without the extensive support from the Northfield community. Support from local businesses allows Northfield YouthBank to fund projects that contribute to a more equitable and just community while highlighting the importance of youth leadership. There would be no Northfield YouthBank without the ideas and projects brought forth to the program by local youth and student groups. It is their voices and ideas that Northfield YouthBank seeks to uplift through each and every grant round.

The Northfield YouthBank program is run by youth, for youth. The youth perspective is an integral part of the YouthBank model and is incorporated into every aspect of the grant process. Northfield YouthBank’s 15 student grant-makers come from various grade levels and backgrounds, with each member bringing their own unique lived experience and connection to the community, thus providing us with diverse perspectives and connections to communities across Northfield. Members go through comprehensive training created in collaboration with YouthBank International to learn about what makes up each grant cycle. Input from youth in the Northfield area also directly shapes the focus of each grant round. Extensive time and effort are put into researching and evaluating community input to determine what theme or issue affecting youth in the Northfield community is most important. After reviewing the surveys YouthBank released to the citizens of Northfield in the summer, Northfield YouthBank has decided that the upcoming grant round will center on increasing mentorship opportunities for youth in our community.

The 2026-2027 fall grant round will open on Monday, Nov. 9, and Northfield YouthBank encourages any youth ages 14 to 19 living in the Northfield School District or attending a Northfield school to apply.

For more information on how you can make a positive change in the Northfield community with a YouthBank grant, check out our website, healthycommunityinitiative.org/impact/youthbank. You can also email us at northfieldyouthbank@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram, @northfieldyouthbank.

Mariana Cruz is a Northfield High School student and member of Northfield YouthBank, a program of Healthy Community Initiative.