Grant Details

OJJDP is focusing the Mentoring for Youth: Underserved Populations program on the needs of the following underserved populations: youth with disabilities; youth in foster care; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning youth (LGBTQ). OJJDP is committed to promoting quality mentoring services and expanding the reach to as many youth across the nation as possible, including the underserved populations identified above. OJJDP defines underserved youth as those who demonstrate need but have not participated in consistently high-quality mentoring services due to location; shortage of qualified mentors; special physical or mental challenges; being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning; or other analogous situations that the community identifies. Youth with disabilities need a caring, trained, mentor to increase their protective factors and reduce their heightened risk for delinquency and victimization. One of the major challenges that youth in foster care often face is the lack of involvement of a consistent, caring adult in their lives. LGBTQ youth often face high-risk situations, such as bullying, and need a caring, understanding mentor. OJJDP will assist in establishing or expanding mentoring and support services for youth in these three underserved populations.

This program offers three mentoring service program categories. Applicants must designate under which category they are applying and are not allowed to submit an application in more than one category:

• Category 1 (Youth with Disabilities);
• Category 2 (Youth in Foster Care); and
• Category 3 (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth)

Applicants must discuss their capability and expertise with particular underserved populations and how their mentoring approach will best serve the unique and diverse needs of that population.

Mentoring programs should support a structured relationship between an adult or trained peer and one or more youth. 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.

The program’s goal is to:

• Improve positive outcomes for youth with disabilities, youth in foster care, and LGBTQ youth, and reduce negative outcomes, including juvenile delinquency and gang participation;
• Improve academic performance;
• Reduce victimization; and
• Reduce school drop-out rates through mentoring.

To achieve this goal, its objectives focus on supporting qualified programs to:

• Provide quality mentoring services; and
• Enhance their mentoring services to implement one or more research- and evidence-based practices.