Deadline: 29-Apr-24
The Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeks to fund national mentoring organizations to enhance and expand mentoring services for children and youth who are at risk or high risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement.
The OJJDP is leading efforts to transform the juvenile justice system into one that will Treat Children as Children; Serve Children at Home, With Their Families, in their Communities; and Open Up Opportunities for System-Involved Youth. OJJDP encourages all proposed applications that work with youth to highlight how the proposed program aligns with these priorities.
OJJDP envisions a juvenile justice system centered on the strengths, needs, and voices of youth and families. Young people and family members with lived experience are vital resources for understanding and reaching persons involved or at risk of involvement with youth-serving systems. OJJDP asks stakeholders to join them in sustainably integrating bold, transformative youth and family partnership strategies into the daily work. OJJDP believes in achieving positive outcomes for youth, families, and communities through meaningful engagement and active partnerships, ensuring they play a central role in collaboratively developing solutions.
This program supports the implementation and delivery of mentoring services to youth populations that are at risk or high risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement. Mentoring services can be one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of these types. Applicants must initiate mentoring services to youth who are 17 years old or younger at the time of admission to the program. Mentors must be an adult (age 18 or older), or in cases where peer mentoring models are being implemented, an older peer and under adult supervision. Funding is encouraged to support new mentoring matches but can also support existing mentoring matches through program completion.
OJJDP strongly encourages applicants to target mentoring services to historically marginalized and underserved populations. For this solicitation, OJJDP defines historically marginalized and underserved youth as those who demonstrate need but have not participated in mentoring services due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to a shortage of trained and screened mentors, youth from communities that have been historically underserved, and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Applicants should specifically identify the underserved populations they will serve and how they will increase mentoring services for these youth. OJJDP also encourages applicants to target youth having a parent in the military, including a deployed parent, and youth who have lost a parent or caregiver serving in the military.
Goals
- The program’s goal is to improve outcomes (such as improved academic performance and reduced school dropout rates) for at-risk and high-risk youth, and reduce negative outcomes (including juvenile delinquency, substance use, and gang participation) through mentoring.
Objectives
- OJJDP has identified the following specific program objectives:
- Increase the number of at-risk or high-risk youth receiving mentoring services.
- Increase or maintain the number of screened and well-trained mentors, with an emphasis on ensuring the mentors selected reflect the youth they serve.
- Develop and implement program design enhancements that align with research and evidence on effective mentoring approaches.
Priority Areas
- In order to further OJP’s mission, OJP will provide priority consideration when making award decisions to the following:
- Applications that propose project(s) that are designed to meaningfully advance equity and remove barriers to accessing services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. To receive this consideration, the applicant must describe how the proposed project(s) will address identified inequities and contribute to greater access to services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. Project activities under this consideration may include, but are not limited to, the following: improving victim services, justice responses, prevention initiatives, reentry services, and other parts of an organization’s or community’s efforts to advance public safety. Applicants should propose activities that address the cultural (and linguistic, if appropriate) needs of communities, outline how the proposed activities will be informed by these communities, and implement culturally responsive and inclusive outreach and engagement.
- Applicants that demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies for implementing their proposed project(s) are enhanced because they (or at least one proposed subrecipient that will receive at least 40 percent of the requested award funding, as demonstrated in the Budget web-based form) are a population-specific organization that serves communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization.
Funding Information
- Anticipated maximum dollar amount per award: Awards will be up to $30,000,000
- Period of performance duration (months): Up to 36 months
- Anticipated total amount to be awarded under this solicitation: $45,000,000
- Anticipated number of awards: 4
Eligibility Criteria
- For the purposes of this solicitation, 2 or more independent organizations that form a collaborative to meet the 45-state requirement do not satisfy OJJDP’s definition of a national organization. The organization’s national headquarters must submit the application.
- OJJDP encourages applicants to minimize their administrative costs in an effort to subaward at least 90 percent of this award to active affiliates or subrecipients, located in at least 38 states, while at the same time allowing for effective subrecipient oversight.
- If the requested award amount is reduced upon award, OJJDP will work with the grantee to adjust and determine the appropriate number of states required to subaward funds that match the total award amount.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.