Multistate Mentoring Programs Initiative

Grants to USA organizations to provide mentoring services to at-risk youth. Applicants must complete required registrations and submit a pre-application prior to the final deadline. The purpose of the grant program is to improve outcomes for youth who are at-risk for delinquency.

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.

OJJDP has identified the following specific program objectives:

• Increase the number of youth receiving mentoring services.
• Increase or maintain the number of well-trained mentors.
• Develop and implement program design enhancements that align with research and evidence on effective mentoring approaches. 

This program supports the implementation and delivery of mentoring services to youth populations that are at risk for juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice system involvement. Mentoring services can be one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of these types. Funding can be used to support new mentoring matches or continue existing mentoring matches at the time of application.

Category 1: Mentoring Organizations (5 to 44 states). For Category 1, applicants must describe how they will respond to the following items in their application:

• Broadest reach. Address how the proposed mentoring approach will reach a diverse and broad population of youth. OJJDP will consider the following factors in this determination: number of states where the applicant organization can show a history of providing mentoring services through subawards, number of states where the applicant organization proposes to use the awarded grant funds to provide mentoring services, number of program sites where the applicant organization can demonstrate a history of providing mentoring services through subawards, number of program sites where the applicant organization proposes to use the awarded grant funds to provide mentoring services, number of youth served, number of mentors recruited, and diversity in the youth being served.
• Target population. The target population should include those youth who are at risk for delinquency or victimization and/or are involved in the juvenile justice system. OJJDP encourages applicants to consider how best to serve youth affected by drug addiction, children of parents on active military duty, children of incarcerated parents, and youth in rural communities. “Rural” encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area.
• Bullying. Applicants are expected to include information in their application that highlights how their mentoring model will directly address the impact of bullying (including cyberbullying) on the youth served in their programs.
• Program profile. Applicants are expected to include a fully executed Mentoring Program Profile document as a separate attachment as stipulated in the Additional Application Components section. 

Category 2: Mentoring Organizations (1 to 4 states). For Category 2, applicants must describe how they will respond to the following items in their application:

• Target population. The target population should include youth who are at risk for delinquency or victimization and/or are involved in the juvenile justice system. OJJDP also encourages applicants to consider how best to serve youth affected by drug addiction, children of parents on active military duty, children of incarcerated parents, and youth in rural communities.
• Bullying. Applicants are expected to include information in their application that highlights how their mentoring model will directly address the issue and impact of bullying (including cyberbullying) on the youth served in their programs.
• Demonstrated partnership. OJJDP encourages applicants to target mentoring services that incorporate opportunities for youth and law enforcement engagement as part of their program model. Applicant mentoring organizations that demonstrate a partnership with a law enforcement agency will receive priority consideration. This may be demonstrated via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or analogous document.
• Program profile. Applicants are expected to include a fully executed Mentoring Program Profile document (see Appendix B) as a separate attachment, as stipulated in the Additional Application Components section. 

OJP Policy Priority Areas: https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding/fy2021/O-OJJDP-2021-48007#page=9