Since 2019, Stevenson School students have been doing something rare: making real decisions with real money on behalf of real people in need.
The Student Philanthropy Project — funded by the generosity of Iva Winton and Bryan Hillstrom ’69 — puts students in the role of grantmakers, tasked each year with identifying, evaluating and funding Monterey County nonprofits working on the front lines of essential community services. This spring, the project crossed a milestone: more than $325,000 granted to local organizations over six years.
The work is substantive. Each year, student members draft a mission statement, establish funding priorities, design the grant application, review and score submissions, interview finalists, and determine final allocations. Faculty advisors guide the process, but the decisions belong to the students.
“The students remain the true decision-makers,” said co-leader Elle M. ’26. “As a leader this year, I’ve taken on a level of organizational responsibility that is genuinely rare at this age — skills that will carry me well beyond high school and into college and the workforce.”
This year’s $50,000 in funding was awarded to six organizations: Gathering for Women, God’s Tooth Fairies, Harmony at Home, Jacob’s Heart, Rancho Cielo, and Victory Mission. The grant cycle concluded with a celebration breakfast at Stevenson School, where students, their families, school leadership, and representatives from funded organizations gathered to mark the year’s work.
“Seeing all the organizations gathered at the breakfast felt like the perfect culmination of every 7:45 a.m. meeting,” Elle said, “where our months of work became visible.”
For co-leader Molly M. ’26, the project deepened her sense of connection to the place she calls home. “From reading grants to speaking directly with nonprofits through our interview process, it is truly a rewarding and exciting opportunity,” she said. “I am now able to see that although not all needs will be met with the work we do, our efforts make a difference.”
Charlotte M. ’27 described the project as both a leadership challenge and a personal one. “Being a part of this project allows me to work alongside others who share the same commitment to service, compassion and involvement,” she said. “It has helped me grow personally and professionally while reminding me of the importance of kindness and creating meaningful impacts.”
That personal growth was perhaps best captured in a handwritten note the student leaders sent to Iva Winton at the close of the year. “What we are taking away from this experience is something no classroom could have ever taught us,” they wrote: “the weight of real responsibility, the joy of helping our community, and the meaning of knowing that we are truly making a positive impact in the world.”
The Student Philanthropy Project welcomes applications from 501(c)(3) organizations based in Monterey County. Current funding priorities include programs supporting low-income, unhoused and immigrant families — with a focus on food security, housing, employment, healthcare, and prevention education for children and youth. Information on the 2025–26 grant cycle is available at remarkable.stevensonschool.org.
