Change the Story
A program for young adults 23-29
to lead a funded community project,
up to $10,000, with a faith community as a partner.
You Lead. We Fund It.
Change the Story pairs young adults with a faith community partner to fund and support a project you lead, with no pressure to join a church.
What Is Change the Story?
In this six-month program, young adults ages 23 to 29 lead a funded community project, supported by a local faith community that serves as a partner.
You bring the idea, and your faith community team brings resources, relationships, and experience. Together you build something real, with up to $10,000 in funding made possible by a grant from the Lilly Endowment. It's free to participate.
This program isn’t a recruitment pipeline. No young adult is ever expected to join a faith community, and no faith community member is allowed to recruit their young adult leader. This is a partnership, not a pitch.
Turn Your Good Intentions Into Action
You probably care about your community already. What's usually missing isn't motivation. It's the support and structure to turn an idea into something real, and it's easy to give up when the work gets hard, and you're doing it alone.
Faith communities, meanwhile, often want to build real relationships with young adults and serve their neighborhoods well, but don't have a clear way to start. The result, without a program like this: good intentions on both sides, moving in parallel, rarely connecting.
Change the Story builds the bridge. Young adults get funding, mentorship, and a team. Faith communities get a real way to show up for their neighborhood and the next generation, on young adults' terms.
How It Works
Apply
You don't need a fully formed plan, just an idea, or even a sense of what matters to you. Faith communities apply too, sharing their capacity and the kind of impact they hope to support. You don't need to be religious or belong to a church to apply. The faith community provides support. You bring the vision.
Launch Weekend
Young adults and faith community teams meet for a two-day workshop, Friday evening through all day Saturday, to get matched, sharpen the project idea, and build the collaboration skills and tools you'll need.
Launch and Learn
Over roughly six months, your team builds the project together, meeting at whatever cadence works for you, at least monthly and sometimes weekly. You lead. Your team supports you with mentorship, coaching, and the resources to make it real.
Change the Story in Action
Kenan wanted to expand a Juneteenth festival he'd started years earlier in Los Altos, California, and deepen the community's understanding of the lived experiences of Black neighbors. Partnering with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, he grew the event and strengthened ties across the community. He now mentors other young adult leaders and speaks on panels about what he learned.
Sarah wanted a communal space for young adults and artists of color to gather and create. With Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, she turned an unused garage into a Social Justice Library, a space for dialogue and community building. She's since returned as a young adult leader a second time and now co-facilitates workshops for new teams.
Loleita partnered with City Church San Francisco to build a four-part dinner series exploring queer identity, faith, and social justice. More than 40 people gathered for shared meals and honest conversation about what it means to live as a queer person of faith.
Other young adult leaders have used Change the Story to build an EarthStory Festival that connects people to science and nature, gather more than 50 neighbors to shape a Filipino History Mural at San José State University, and host a resource fair that connects undocumented immigrants with practical support and community.
What You Gain
A funded, real-world project rooted in your community
Real leadership experience, not a volunteer shift
Mentorship, tools, and a team of people who care about what you're building
A faith community's relationships, space, and experience, without any expectation that you join
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a fully developed idea to apply?
No. You can apply with an idea that's still forming. Part of Launch Weekend is sharpening it with your team.
Do I have to be religious to participate?
No. Young adults take part regardless of religious background or church affiliation. The faith community provides support. You bring the vision and the leadership.
Will my faith community try to recruit me?
No. Faith community members are not allowed to recruit their young adult leaders, and there's no expectation that you'll join their church or adopt their beliefs.
What's the time commitment?
A Launch Weekend (Friday evening and all day Saturday), then about six months of project work at a cadence your team sets, at least once a month.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. It's free to participate, and funded projects can receive up to $10,000 thanks to a grant from the Lilly Endowment.
What kinds of projects have people built?
Past projects include a social justice library, a Juneteenth festival, an environmental education festival, a community mural, a dinner series on faith and queer identity, and a resource fair for undocumented immigrants. Your project is shaped by what you care about.
Ready to Lead Your Project?
If you have an idea, or even just a sense of what matters to you, this is a way to build it with real support behind you.