How We Work With Funders
YouthTruth empowers foundations to maximize their impact by listening to youth about their experiences in school and beyond. We partner with funders to gather essential feedback from students, families, and staff, and develop custom survey items on topics that inform interventions and provide valuable insights into philanthropic effectiveness.
Our projects vary: some focus on school improvement strategies, like catalyzing new high school models, while others aim to understand community-wide perceptions and needs, such as a community foundation’s responses to wildfires and climate change. We also deliver workshops that turn grantees into a data-rich learning community where funders learn alongside their grantees.
We also conduct funder-supported research on critical issues to elevate youth voices in important national conversations. Some projects focus specifically on the school experience, like our research on math supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Others address broader topics, such as youth emotional and mental health, supported by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
Research Report
Class of 2023: Who Plans to Go to College?
May 2023
Polls show that Americans are losing faith in the value of a college education, and many, including high school students, are debating whether college is “worth it.” College enrollments are in decline, and undergraduate degree attainment numbers fell last year for the first time in a decade. The percentage of high school graduates enrolling in college immediately after high school has dropped, and there is widespread alarm that community colleges in particular are in trouble.
