OJJDP FY 2023 Mentoring Programs for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System | O OJJDP 2023 171695

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OJJDP 2023 171695

The OJJDP FY 2023 Mentoring Programs for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), designed to strengthen and expand mentoring services for young people who are already involved in the juvenile justice system. The solicitation sits within the broader Office of Justice Programs (OJP) priorities, emphasizing civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, support for crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, stronger community safety, and greater trust between communities and law enforcement. In practice, the opportunity is aimed at supporting mentoring organizations that can provide consistent, supportive relationships and development-focused services to system-involved youth, with the goal of improving youth outcomes and reducing deeper justice involvement.

A central theme of the solicitation is OJJDPs vision for transforming juvenile justice in ways that are developmentally appropriate and family- and community-centered. The agency frames its approach around the principles of "Treat Children as Children," "Serve Children at Home, With Their Families, in their Communities," and "Open Up Opportunities for System-Involved Youth." Applicants are encouraged to make clear how their mentoring model aligns with these priorities, meaning proposals should go beyond simply pairing mentors and mentees and should instead show how mentoring will help youth build protective factors, stabilize relationships, and access real opportunities in their home environments, schools, and communities.

Another defining requirement is the expectation that funded projects meaningfully integrate youth and family partnerships throughout the life of the project, including in the project plan and budget. OJJDP emphasizes that youth and family members with lived experience are essential partners in understanding what system-involved youth need and in designing approaches that work in real-world conditions. Applicants must describe how they will sustain engagement with youth and families rather than treating them as occasional advisors. The solicitation outlines multiple ways this partnership can be structured, including individual-level partnership (youth and family engagement in case planning and direct service delivery before, during, and after system contact), agency-level partnership (influencing policies, practices, program design, implementation, evaluation, advisory bodies, staffing approaches, and budget development), and system-level partnership (participation in strategic planning, system improvement, reform efforts, advocacy strategies, and broader community coordination). Strong applications would typically show how youth and family voices shape decision-making, program operations, feedback loops, and continuous improvement, not just program participation.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the Law, Justice and Legal Services category, listed under CFDA 16.726. The opportunity number is O-OJJDP-2023-171695. OJJDP anticipated making about 6 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $500,000 per award. The solicitation was posted March 31, 2023, with an original closing date of May 18, 2023. While the text does not detail program length, match requirements, or specific deliverables, the emphasis on expansion and enhancement suggests OJJDP is looking for organizations that can either scale existing mentoring capacity or deepen service quality for a defined population of justice-involved youth.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also other than institutions of higher education), Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. This eligibility range signals that OJJDP is open to a variety of organizational structures, as long as applicants can demonstrate credible capacity to mentor justice-involved youth and to implement youth- and family-centered partnership strategies in a way that is authentic, sustained, and measurable.

Overall, the grant opportunity is best understood as support for mentoring as a key intervention within a modernized juvenile justice framework: one that is grounded in equity, treats youth in developmentally appropriate ways, keeps youth connected to families and communities whenever possible, and builds practical pathways to opportunity. Proposals are expected to show not only how mentoring relationships will be delivered, but also how youth and families will be integrated as partners in shaping the work at the individual, organizational, and potentially system levels.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 2023 Mentoring Programs for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.726.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 18, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for O OJJDP 2023 171695

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