Mentoring for Youth Affected by Opioid and Other Substance Misuse

Link

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-ojjdp-2024-172020

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: May 21, 2024

Sponsor

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

Purpose

Provides funding to strengthen existing mentoring programs and increase mentoring services for youth misusing or dependent on opioids, stimulants, or other substances; youth at risk of misusing substances; and youth with family members dealing with substance misuse and addiction issues. Supports multiple mentoring approaches, including one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of mentoring services, to reduce substance use, delinquency, and other problem behaviors and promote positive outcomes for youth.

Program consists of 2 grant categories:

Category 1: Mentoring Strategies for Youth Affected by Opioid and Other Substance Misuse Project Site grants provide mentoring services as part of a prevention, treatment, recovery, and supportive approach for youth affected by substance misuse.
Category 2: Statewide and Regional Mentoring Strategies for Youth Affected by Opioid and Other Substance Misuse grants support a broader approach to building mentoring program capacity in targeted regions to help youth impacted by substance misuse. This may include supporting states or statewide organizations providing subgrants to mentoring organizations in particular regions such as rural communities, tribes supporting mentoring programs, and national mentoring organizations funding active chapters or subrecipients in areas, especially rural communities, with demonstrated high levels of substance misuse.

Applicants must provide mentoring services to youth who are 17 years old or younger at the time of admission to the program.

Program objectives and deliverables include:

Expand the capacity of existing mentoring programs to provide high-quality services to youth that reduce substance misuse, delinquency, and other problem behaviors
Develop innovative approaches to mentoring youth impacted by opioids and substance misuse
Enhance and/or expand mentoring services to meet the needs of youth impacted by opioids and other substance misuse
Identify the proposed target population(s), the exact number of youth to be served, the type of program model to be used, and explain how the approach will meet mentees' needs and promote positive outcomes
Expand the capacity and increase implementation of quality standards based on the Elements of Effective Practice
Develop and utilize services, including educational and support services, for mentees and their families and partner with substance use treatment organizations to meet the needs of the targeted youth population
Track the program's target population, new and existing matches, and delivered services as specified in the project design and mentoring program profile attachment

Up to 20% of project funds may be used for non-mentoring direct services, such as mental health or substance use treatment, or other support services.

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling:

Category 1: $650,000
Category 2: $2,000,000

Estimated number of awards:

Category 1: 10
Category 2: 5

Project period: 36 months
Estimated total program funding: $16,500,000

Who Can Apply

Eligible Category 1 applicants are organizations that have been in existence for at least 3 years at the time of application and have been directly delivering a structured mentoring program model.

Eligible Category 2 applicants include:

National organizations with active affiliates or subawardees in at least 45 states
States and territories
Federally recognized tribal governments
Organizations with statewide reach that provide mentoring services

Applicants are required to partner with a substance use treatment agency; however, the primary applicant must directly implement the mentoring program.

Priority consideration is given to proposals that promote racial equity and support the removal of barriers to access and opportunity for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by inequality.

In fiscal year (FY) 2023, all state, local, and university and college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process in order to be eligible for grant funding.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • Operating Costs and Staffing • Training Providers

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information about the online application process can be found in the funding announcement.

Applications must be submitted electronically through a 2-step process:

Step 1: Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in grants.gov by the May 4, 2023 deadline.
Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application, including attachments, in the JustGrants grants management system by the May 18, 2023 deadline.

Applicant webinar
(Registration required)
April 29, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Contact

For questions on submitting in grants.gov:
800-518-4726
support@grants.gov

For questions on submitting in JustGrants:
833-872-5175
JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov

For programmatic and technical questions:
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Response Center
800-851-3420
TTY at 301-240-6310
grants@ncjrs.gov

Rural Awards

Past awards communities received in FY 2023 can be found on the program website.

Rural communities who have received funding include:

Helping Services for Youth & Families in Decorah, Iowa received funding to expand mentoring services to 160 youth in a 5-county area in rural northeast Iowa. Expanded services will include school-based and group mentoring, a menu of support services, and partnerships with local organizations and stakeholders, such as substance use treatment, mental health, counseling, and child health clinics.
Campti Community Development Center in Campti, Louisiana was awarded funds to implement a positive role modeling initiative that will use mentoring to promote character development and reduce delinquency, crime, school dropout, and related risk factors among underserved rural and urban youth affected by opioid use in 5 parishes in northwest Louisiana.

Topics This Program Addresses

Community Supervision • Justice System • Methamphetamine • Opioids • Prevention • Recovery • Substance Use Disorder • Treatment • Youth