The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is soliciting proposals to provide mentoring services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
This solicitation supports applicant organizations as they strengthen and/or expand their existing mentoring activities with active chapters or sub-awardees and/or other mentoring organizations. Mentoring activities include direct one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of these types of mentoring services for at-risk and underserved youth populations.
Mentoring promotes positive behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes for youth and reduces risk factors. It has been shown to improve academic performance and/or social or job skills, support behavioral or other personal development, and reduce consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Successful mentoring programs include matches between a mentor and one or more youth. Mentoring can take place in multiple and informal settings and in a school or program context. OJJDP supports the expansion of quality mentoring services for at-risk and high-risk youth.
There are three tiers of funding:
- National Mentoring Programs: applicants are limited to national organizations, defined as organizations that have active chapters or sub-awardees in at least 45 states;
- Multi-state Mentoring Programs: applicants must be multi-state organizations and have active chapters or sub-awardees in at least five states;
- Collaborative Mentoring Programs: applicants must be part of a collaborative of at least three and as many as five mentoring organizations.
These are capacity-building grants that help national mentoring organizations expand their existing activities within local affiliates. Activities must include direct one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring or peer mentoring services to at-risk and underserved youth populations.