While some teenagers are busy looking for summer jobs to earn extra cash, a few students at a top private school in the Bronx are getting a lesson in what it means to give some away.

A few years ago, students at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Riverdale formed the only student-run, nonprofit grant-making organization in the city, Students Helping to Actively Promote Ethics.

Last week, the Shape fund awarded a total of $5,000 to four New York City organizations. The philanthropy seeks to provide economic assistance to community organizations that serve youth or are led in part by children under 18.

This year, the group gave $1,100 to “Heads up! Children Read, Listen, Learn,” for literacy development at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; a $1,100 grant to “Fresh Youth Initiatives,” for a youth community service program in Washington Heights; $1,300 to “Groove With Me,” a free dance program in Harlem for girls ages 4 to 18, and $1,500 to “The Dome Project,” for its Juvenile Justice Program, which provides counseling, court advocacy, and assistance to criminal offenders and at-risk youth.

June 7 marked the Shape fund’s third year of grant making. It supports the notion that young people have the power to shape – or positively influence and transform – the community in which they live, work and learn. To donate to the Shape fund, please send an e-mail to SHAPEfund@gmail.com.

Ms. Montaigne is a sophomore at the Fieldston School and a member of the Shape fund’s executive board.