A Quick Guide To Federal Programs And Services For Youth

This publication is part of a series of tools and resources on financing and sustaining youth programming. These tools and resources are intended to help policymakers, program developers, and community leaders develop innovative strategies for implementing, financing, and sustaining effective programs and policies. This guide outlines strategies for gaining access to and using federal funds and provides information on 103 funding sources offering supports for youth programming. It includes well-known sources of funding for youth programming, for example, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, the state grants program of the "Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act," and "Gang Resistance Education and Training." It also includes some often overlooked funding sources, such as the U.S. Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program, which prepares young people for the workforce, or the Corporation for National Service's Learn and Serve America program, which emphasizes positive youth development through volunteer opportunities. Section I of this guide looks at the funding landscape for programs serving youth. It provides an overview of public and private investments in youth programming. It also outlines some of the key challenges facing policymakers and community leaders as well as factors affecting present and future investments in these initiatives. Section II describes the structure and requirements of the various federal funding mechanisms to fund youth programs. Section III introduces the framework The Finance Project used to guide its research on federal funding sources for youth programming. This section also analyzes the broad domains (e.g., youth programming services, supportive services for youth, and youth development system supports) used in the framework and provides examples of federal programs that can support activities in each domain. Section IV presents strategies for maximizing federal funds and building partnerships. This section highlights youth initiatives that have used creative financing strategies to support their programming and offers tips for accessing funds and implementing financing strategies. Section V contains a catalog of federal funding sources that can support youth programming. Each one-page summary describes the funding source and provides eligibility, application, and contact information. To help readers identify specific funding sources to support their initiative, each source is also categorized according to the particular activities or services it can fund. Appendix A lists the funding sources cataloged in Section V sorted by the federal agency administering the funding source. Appendix B displays the federal programs by funding type (e.g., entitlements, block grants, and discretionary grants). (Contains 15 footnotes.).

The services and programs are organized into three groups. The first gives basic information about programs and services that are federally supported. They are grouped under several headings: jobs and training; learning opportunities; travel and culture; and health, fitness and support services. The second tells about a range of programs and services for which young people cannot apply, but from which they still benefit. The third lists resources such as books, pamphlets, videos and other materials supported by federal departments and agencies. It includes addresses of government offices that are referred to, a quick breakdown of programs and services by organization, and a subject index.

After-school programs, scout groups, community service activities, religious youth groups, and other community-based activities have long been thought to play a key role in the lives of adolescents. But what do we know about the role of such programs for today's adolescents? How can we ensure that programs are designed to successfully meet young people's developmental needs and help them become healthy, happy, and productive adults? Community Programs to Promote Youth Development explores these questions, focusing on essential elements of adolescent well-being and healthy development. It offers recommendations for policy, practice, and research to ensure that programs are well designed to meet young people's developmental needs. The book also discusses the features of programs that can contribute to a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. It examines what we know about the current landscape of youth development programs for America's youth, as well as how these programs are meeting their diverse needs. Recognizing the importance of adolescence as a period of transition to adulthood, Community Programs to Promote Youth Development offers authoritative guidance to policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and other key stakeholders on the role of youth development programs to promote the healthy development and well-being of the nation's youth.