Abstract
Giving circles are groups of individuals who pool their resources and decide together where these resources should be distributed. They are becoming especially popular among non-traditional donors such as women, people of color, young professionals and youth. This study is one of the first to examine a youth giving circle; a case study of a giving circle made up of students from one high school in a mid-sized Midwestern town in the U.S. It examined the effect participating in a giving circle had on youth participants’ learning through connection to and awareness of community issues, sense of empowerment, and identities as leaders and philanthropists by gathering data through interviews and documentation.