Originally published in The Foundation Review, Volume 17, Issue 1 (2025).
How might philanthropy change if young people were positioned not simply as participants, but as co-creators and possibility catalysts?
In this peer-reviewed article, Dr. Kimberlin D. Butler introduces Youth-Possible Philanthropy®, a field-building framework for strengthening meaningful youth participation, shared decision-making, and power-sharing in philanthropic practice. The article examines persistent gaps in how philanthropy engages young people and explores how possibility development, participatory approaches, and trust-based philanthropy can help create more authentic roles for youth in philanthropic governance and strategy.
The article also offers strategies and examples for moving from intention to practice—creating conditions in which young people can help shape decisions about the issues, communities, and futures that affect them.
Read the full article in The Foundation Review.
Suggested citation:
Butler, K. D. (2025). Engaging Youth in Philanthropic Practice: Field-Building Strategies and the Promise of Youth-Possible Philanthropy™. The Foundation Review, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.9707/1944-5660.1725