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2026 AO Awards Program Criteria

Representative of a 501(c)(3) organization (nonprofit or educational institution) in the United States…or a program within a 501c3 organization
Provide services to youth aging out of foster care – either preparing them to age out or supporting them afterward
Must have been providing services to youth aging out of care for at least 3 years (started after June 2023)
Previous winners are not eligible, unless they won their award in 2019-2021

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10 Tips for Completing the Application

Provide details	Tell a story	Address AO’s questions	Use AO’s suggested format
Ensure consistent writing style	10 Tips for Completing the AO Awards Application		Check grammar and spelling
Submit for full programs only	Include actual data	Focus on the present (not the future)	Include relevant attachments

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Tip #1: Provide Details

Mistake: Being too brief and/or high level in your descriptions

Advice: Err on the side of providing more information than less and do not skip sections.

Youth
Leaders
Staff
Partners
Community
Government
Etc.

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Tip #1: Provide Details

Mistake: Being too brief and/or high level in your descriptions

Advice: Err on the side of providing more information than less and do not skip sections.

Youth
Leaders
Staff
Partners
Community
Government
Etc.

Goals
Achievements
Staff training
Skills
Elements
Topics
Schedule
Tools

• Materials

• Benefits

• Etc.

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Tip #1: Provide Details

Mistake: Being too brief and/or high level in your descriptions

Advice: Err on the side of providing more information than less and do not skip sections.

Youth
Leaders
Staff
Partners
Community
Government
Etc.

Goals
Achievements
Staff training
Skills
Elements
Topics
Schedule
Tools

Nonprofit Location
Activity location
Online location
Recruiting

geography

Etc.

• Materials

• Benefits

• Etc.

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Tip #1: Provide Details

Mistake: Being too brief and/or high level in your descriptions

Advice: Err on the side of providing more information than less and do not skip sections.

Youth
Leaders
Staff
Partners
Community
Government
Etc.

Goals
Achievements
Staff training
Skills
Elements
Topics
Schedule

Nonprofit Location
Activity location
Online location
Recruiting

Ages of youth (when they participate)
Activity time of year
Length of time

in program

• Process/Steps • Mission

• Youth • Why youth

experience participate

(beginning to _{• Why youth}

^end)succeed

• Etc. ^hyW_{• Etc.}

geography

• Etc.

• Tools

• Materials

• Benefits

• Etc.

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Tip #1: Provide Details

Mistake: Being too brief and/or high level in your descriptions

Advice: Err on the side of providing more information than less and do not skip sections.

Youth
Leaders
Staff
Partners
Community
Government
Etc.

Goals
Outcomes
Staff training
Skills
Elements
Topics
Schedule
Tools
Materials
Benefits
Etc.

Nonprofit Location
Activity location
Online location
Recruiting

geography

Etc.

Ages of youth (when they participate)
Activity time of year
Length of time

in program

Etc.

Process/Steps
Youth experience (beginning to end)
How it is

youth driven

Etc.

Tie program activities to the mission
Why youth participate
Why youth

succeed

Why the program methodology was selected
Etc.

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Tip #2: Tell a Story

Mistake: Answering in lists or just “the facts”

Advice: Paint a thorough, descriptive explanation of your program and the youths’ experience from the beginning to the end of the program.

List of Program Elements	Story of How Youth Experience the Program
We have a mentor program The mentor program engages volunteers from the community We match volunteers and youth based on their interests We meet with mentors regularly to coach them on applying the life skills curriculum Etc.

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Tip #2: Tell a Story

Mistake: Answering in lists or just “the facts”

Advice: Paint a thorough, descriptive explanation of your program and the youths’ experience from the beginning to the end of the program.

List of Program Elements	Story of How Youth Experience the Program
We_Xhave a mentor program The mentor program engages volunteers from the community We match volunteers and youth based on their interests We meet with mentors regularly to coach them on applying the life skills curriculum Etc.	When youth are accepted into our mentor program, we ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their interests. We also ask our volunteer mentors to fill out the same questionnaire. This way, we can compare the applications and find the best matches based on interests and goals. After the matches are identified, we bring the mentors and youth together to talk and decide if they want to move forward with the relationship. Throughout the time the youth are part of the mentor program, we meet with coaches regularly to help them understand how to help youth build the life skills that they need to meet their goals.

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Tip #2: Tell a Story

Mistake: Answering in lists or just “the facts”

Advice: Paint a thorough, descriptive explanation of your program and the youths’ experience from the beginning to the end of the program.

Make sure that the story is not all “fluff” (e.g., “aren’t we awesome”) – instead, focus on relevant activities that address how you work with the youth

List of Program Elements	Story of How Youth Experience the Program
We_Xhave a mentor program The mentor program engages volunteers from the community We match volunteers and youth based on their interests We meet with mentors regularly to coach them on applying the life skills curriculum Etc.	When youth are accepted into our mentor program, we ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their interests. We also ask our volunteer mentors to fill out the same questionnaire. This way, we can compare the applications and find the best matches based on interests and goals. After the matches are identified, we bring the mentors and youth together to talk and decide if they want to move forward with the relationship. Throughout the time the youth are part of the mentor program, we meet with coaches regularly to help them understand how to help youth build the life skills that they need to meet their goals.

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Tip #3: Address AO's Questions

Mistake: Simply copying other grant applications or program literature

(brochures, etc.) to the AO application

Advice: Even if you leverage information from other sources, be sure to customize it for the AO application.

We understand the value in leveraging existing content. However, if the descriptions you provide don’t align with the expectations of the AO application, it will likely lead to lower scores.

Part of this customization is to ensure that the content matches

with the recommended headers (see next slide).

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Tip #4: Use AO’s Suggested Headers

Mistake: Not utilizing the suggested content headers in the instructions

Advice: Organize your answers under the headers that AO has provided.

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Tip #5: Ensure Consistent Writing Style

Writer A	Writer B
Writes “Youth” Uses a lot of contractions (can’t, don’t, etc.) Writes short, simple sentences Uses bullet lists to share service area information Indents paragraphs Makes a lot of spelling errors	Writes “Client” Does not use many contractions (cannot, do not) Writes long, complicated sentences Writes in story format to share service area information Does not indent paragraphs Makes very few spelling errors

Mistake: Including different writing styles of more than one contributor

Advice: Ensure the application reflects a single, consistent writing style.

Example of different writing styles:

Consistent writing style includes using the same terminology and/or references, using the same grammar and punctuation decisions, etc.
Hire a grant writer if you don’t have a good grant

writer on staff.

Have one person on staff – someone who can write well – write the entire thing.
Have one person go through different contributions and edit to ensure a consistent writing style (allow enough time if doing this one).

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Tip #6: Check Grammar and Spelling

Mistake: Submitting the application with grammar and spelling mistakes

Advice: Ensure someone proofreads the entire application and corrects any grammar and spelling mistakes.

Hire a grant writer if you don’t have a good writer on staff.
Have one person on staff – someone who can proofread well – review the application.
Have one person on staff - someone who can write well - proofread the entire thing (allow extra time at the end to do this).

Grant

Writer

Staff Member

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Tip #7: Submit for Primary Area(s) of Service

Mistake: Trying to portray secondary activities as separate Areas of Service

Advice: Only submit in service areas (housing, employment, education, etc.) that are “primary” to your core mission.

If you only have an activity or two in a particular service area (e.g., housing, employment, education, etc.), do not select those Areas of Service in the application.
It does not count against you if you only submit in one service area.
Don’t try to make your program look more impressive by selecting several Areas of Service – it may end up earning a lower score.

Example: Primary Service (Education)	Example: Secondary Services
Helps youth identify best educational track (college, trade school, etc.) Helps youth fill out necessary forms to apply to school Provides tutors, when needed Ensures youth connect with other foster youth in the same educational institution Meets regularly on progress toward education goals	Helps youth identify their desired career track (Employment) Provides a mentor for youth while they are pursuing their educational goals (Relationships) NOTE: If secondary activities support your primary Area of Service, include them in your primary Area of Service description.

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Tip #8: Include Actual Data

Mistake: Being vague regarding data (e.g., “some,” “many,” “often”)

Advice: Where it is appropriate, share actual numbers, percentages, etc.

Vague	Includes Data
“Many youth in our program who select the goal of achieving their GED are able to acquire it successfully.”	“In 2021, 29 (93%) of the youth in our program who selected the goal of achieving their GED were able to acquire it successfully.”

Data demonstrates the specific impact you are having on youths’ lives.

NOTE: This is especially important for the Youth Impact application, but it will also raise your score in the “size” applications.

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Tip #9: Focus on the Present

Mistake: Including future plans as representative of service area

activities

Advice: Keep the application focused on your current program (only include the past if it helps explain the development of your program).

Judges are looking for what your program looks like today, not what you are planning for the future.

“We are raising money to build a restaurant quality kitchen to help teach youth how to cook.”

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Tip #10: Include Relevant Attachments

Mistake: Not including attachments, including attachments that are not directly relevant to the described Area(s) of Service, or referencing attachments instead of filling in the service area section of the application

Advice: Utilize attachments only to supplement information provided in

the application.

Attachments should not be submitted in place of narrative in the application.
Don’t only refer to attachments in the application – they are to

supplement something described in the application.

Make sure the attachments relate to the service areas for which you have submitted.

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https://agingoutinstitute.org/aoi-community

AO has funds to donate money to organizations that join the AOI Community this summer. (This is NOT a requirement to apply for or win an award.)

Small Orgs/Programs (>10 employees)

$500 donation after $199 annual access fee

Mid-Size Orgs/Programs (11-40 employees)

$600 donation after $299 annual access fee

Large Orgs/Programs (41+ employees)

$700 donation after $399 annual access fee

AO Community

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