OJJDP FY 2008 Strengthening Youth Mentoring through Community Partnerships | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the name of this grant opportunity?

The grant opportunity is titled "Strengthening Youth Mentoring through Community Partnerships" (FY 2008) and is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) within the U.S. Department of Justice.

2) What is the main purpose of this solicitation?

The core purpose is to help communities expand their ability to design, launch, and sustain effective mentoring programs and to deliver direct mentoring services, especially for youth at risk of delinquency or other negative outcomes.

3) What does OJJDP mean by "strengthening youth mentoring" in practical terms?

In practical terms, the grant focuses on strengthening local capacity and the infrastructure that makes mentoring work over time. This typically includes recruiting and screening mentors, training and supervising mentors, making appropriate mentor-youth matches, ensuring participant safety, monitoring and supporting match quality, and building referral pathways so youth most in need can access services.

4) Who is the grant intended to serve?

The solicitation is focused on young people who are at risk of delinquency or other negative outcomes, with a strong emphasis on youth who are underserved or harder to serve.

5) Which youth populations are specifically emphasized as underserved or harder to serve?

The opportunity highlights a major emphasis on reaching youth who are underserved or harder to serve, including youth in remote or isolated locations, youth in places where there are not enough available mentors, and youth with special physical or mental health needs.

6) Can communities define other local needs beyond the examples listed?

Yes. The program allows communities to define additional local situations where mentoring is needed, recognizing that barriers and gaps can vary widely from one area to another.

7) What kinds of barriers or gaps might a proposal address?

Based on the solicitation description, competitive proposals would typically explain who is being missed by existing mentoring options and why those gaps exist. Examples of local barriers mentioned include transportation issues, geography, limited volunteer pools, disability-related access issues, insufficient specialized training, language barriers, or other local conditions.

8) What is meant by "community partnerships" in this grant?

The emphasis on community partnerships signals that applicants are expected to work collaboratively across local systems rather than operate in isolation. Coordination often includes partners such as schools, juvenile justice, child welfare, behavioral health providers, community and faith-based organizations, and other local stakeholders.

9) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

This opportunity is tied to CFDA 16.726, the Juvenile Mentoring Program.

10) Is this a discretionary grant program?

Yes. It is described as a discretionary grant program under the juvenile mentoring framework.

11) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is OJJDP 2008 1898.

12) Which agency administers this grant?

The administering agency is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

13) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad but focused on public-sector governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and related public agencies.

14) Are non-government organizations eligible to apply directly?

The eligibility list provided focuses on governmental entities and related public agencies. The solicitation also emphasizes partnerships with community and faith-based organizations and other stakeholders, but those groups are described as partners rather than as listed eligible applicants.

15) What is the maximum award amount?

Awards could be as large as $500,000.

16) What does an "award floor" of $0 mean?

The listed award floor is $0, which typically indicates that award sizes may vary depending on the scope of the proposal and available funds.

17) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The solicitation does not require cost sharing or matching funds.

18) Why does the lack of a match requirement matter?

Because cost sharing is not required, the financial barrier can be lower for jurisdictions and public agencies that want to start or expand mentoring services but may not have local funds available to meet a match requirement.

19) What key elements would likely make a proposal more competitive based on the stated priorities?

Based on the information provided, proposals would likely be more competitive if they clearly explain (1) which youth are being missed by existing mentoring options, (2) why the gaps exist (for example, geography, transportation, limited mentors, disability access, training needs, language barriers, or other local conditions), and (3) how the initiative will overcome those barriers through targeted outreach, partner engagement, and program design.

20) When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on May 27, 2008, created on May 29, 2008, and closed on June 20, 2008. The archive date is July 20, 2008.

21) Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the full announcement?

For technical issues accessing the full announcement, the listed contact is Al Roddy at 202-616-4506.