Deadline: 11-Aug-21
Applications are now open for the Youth Justice in Wisconsin to support a coordinated and comprehensive response to provide the support needed to fulfill its youth-driven vision that all youth have the tools to thrive in adulthood.
Project Requirements
Initial Grant
- Matching Services to Needs:
- Statewide adoption of the YASI enables them to identify a youth’s risk, need, and responsivity factors more effectively and consistently – information that is then used to target areas in need of intervention, and individualize the mode and strategies of services. Research suggests assessment tools (like the YASI) are most effective when paired with evidence based or evidence-informed strategies focused on positive community support, strength-building, and cognitive behavioral techniques and appropriately matched to a youth’s level of need
- Objective: Implement or enhance an evidence-informed practice and/or program to increase access to “right” services for youth.
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities (R.E.D.) Reduction:
- This project area is designed to offer counties an opportunity to explore and develop an initial collaborative strategy aimed at reducing racial and other disparities in youth justice outcomes. In the first year of this project, counties should convene a diverse stakeholder group to critically examine existing youth justice outcomes within their community and work collaboratively to develop a community-based program or strategy to be launched in a second year of Innovation grant funding. In other words, the first year of this project should be focused on planning and the second year will be focused on implementing changes related to data collection.
- Objective: Explore and develop an initial collaborative strategy aimed at reducing racial and other disparities in youth justice outcomes.
- School-Justice Partnership:
- This project area is designed to offer counties the opportunity to improve collaboration between human services, schools, and other community stakeholders to reduce school referrals to the youth justice system. Counties and collaborative partners interested in this grant may choose to focus specifically on truancy referrals.
- Objective: Improve collaboration between human services, schools, and other community stakeholders to reduce school referrals to the youth justice system.
Continuation Grant
- This project area is designed to offer counties awarded an initial grant in fall 2020 the opportunity to continue the initiatives started in year one of Innovation funding. Counties applying for a grant in this project area should be prepared to describe the progress of their project thus far and explain why continued funds from DCF are necessary.
- Project Objective: Continue the initiatives started in year one of Innovation funding.
Eligibility Criteria
- Initial Grant
- As this program is entering its fifth cycle, counties who satisfy one of the following requirements are eligible to apply for an initial YJ Innovation Grant:
- Counties who have never been awarded YJ Innovation Grant (including those who may have previously applied but did not receive funding).
- Counties who were awarded an initial YJ Innovation Grant before fall 2019 (including counties who may have been awarded a grant as part of a consortium), so long as this year’s application is for a new project. Counties who received grants (initial or continuation) in the 2020-21 cycle are not eligible to apply for an initial grant.
- As this program is entering its fifth cycle, counties who satisfy one of the following requirements are eligible to apply for an initial YJ Innovation Grant:
- Continuation Grant
- Counties who satisfy the following requirement are eligible to apply for a second year of YJ Innovation Grant funding (continuation):
- Counties who were awarded an initial YJ Innovation Grant in fall 2020.
- Counties who satisfy the following requirement are eligible to apply for a second year of YJ Innovation Grant funding (continuation):
For more information, visit https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/yj