Grant and Funding Opportunities

Approximately $4 million will be available for approximately 7 awards ranging from $400,000 to $700,000. Awards will be made for 12 months with one-year renewals for an additional four years.

The purpose of this program is to build or expand the capacity of selected target communities to divert youth who have been arrested or who are in-custody, from entering detention and the juvenile justice system by expanding and enhancing community resources directed to target youth populations, ages 11-15.

New and enhanced community-based services will be created in the target high need communities which have the highest rates of youth placements in OCFS custody within the Bronx, Brooklyn/Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan, Suffolk, Nassau and Monroe Counties.

Specific areas and scope of services include, but are not limited to:

• Providing service strategies, approaches, and linguistic capacities which promote the delivery of services that are culturally competent and reflective of the population and community to be served;
• Collecting and analyzing data relevant to disproportionality and service provision;
• Strategically locating services within communities, to promote better access to service delivery in high need areas; and
• Promoting cross-agency dialogue and partnership regarding service planning to address disproportionality including but not limited to: social services, mental health, health, education, housing, substance abuse, probation agencies, and community based providers.

Six Core Content areas must be included in each proposal: 1) Case Management Supervision, 2) Individual Family Support, 3) Teen Pregnancy Prevention Services, 4) Wraparound Services, 5) Educational Career or Vocational Services, and 6) Youth Development Activities, such as self esteem building, life skills development, service learning or community service. The Lead Agency must provide the Core Content area of Case Management and Supervision and at least one other area. Lead agency applicants must subcontract with at least 2 other community-based organizations for a minimum of 50% of the Core Content Area services.

Only Incorporated not-for-profit organizations and/or faith based organizations are eligible to apply as Lead Applicants. City-wide organizations are also eligible to apply as a Lead agency.