Spotlight Announcement

5/8/2009: Second Chance Act Mentoring Grants Update

Section 211 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to make grants to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes for the purpose of providing mentoring and transitional services essential to reintegrating individuals released from prisons or jails into the community. In fiscal year 2009, $10 million is available for mentoring programs under the Second Chance Act.

Adult Mentoring

On April 23, 2009, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice, released a solicitation for Second Chance Act mentoring grants which provides funding to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes for projects with a target population aged 18 or older.

Applications are due on May 21, 2009.

Resources & Tools

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has developed a toolkit for nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes interested in the adult mentoring grant. The toolkit includes an application checklist and guidance on how to complete an application. Additional materials are available on the Reentry Policy Council website, including a fact sheet on the adult mentoring grants and a resource guide listing publications, reports, and tools that may be helpful in developing a successful reentry initiative.

NOTE: These materials are not part of the grant solicitation. Potential applicants should carefully read the BJA solicitation, which describes forms that must be completed and all criteria that must be met to be eligible for funding.

Webinar

The Justice Center will hold a webinar to help potential applicants understand the BJA solicitation for mentoring grants. The webinar will be held on May 11, 2009, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. The webinar is free, but only the first 1,000 people to register will be able to participate. Click here to register. The webinar presentation, including audio, will be posted on the Reentry Policy Council website after May 11.

Juvenile Mentoring

On May 6, 2009, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice, released a solicitation for Second Chance Act Mentoring Grants for juvenile populations. Public agencies, including Indian tribes and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for the OJJDP grants. Applications are due on June 15, 2009. The Justice Center is developing additional resources for juvenile mentoring grant applicants, which will be available soon.

Comparing the Second Chance Act Mentoring Programs

	Adult Mentoring	Juvenile Mentoring
Agency	Bureau of Justice Assistance	Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Agency contact	Dr. Gary Dennis gary.dennis@usdoj.gov (202) 305-9059	Gwen Williams gwendolyn.williams@usdoj.gov (202) 616-1611 Angela Parker angela.parker@usdoj.gov (202) 353-9252
Application deadline	May 21, 2009	June 15, 2009
Eligible applicants	Nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes	Public agencies, including Indian tribes and nonprofit organizations
Maximum award	Up to $300,000 for 2 years	Up to $625,000 for 3 years
Match requirement	25% match encouraged	25% match required
Target population	Only individuals aged 18 and older convicted as an adult	Only individuals under age 18
Selection criteria	Statement of the Problem (20%) Program Design and Implementation (30%) Capabilities/Competencies (30%) Impact/Outcomes, Evaluation, Sustainability, Data Collection Plan (10%) Budget (10%)	Statement of the Problem (20%) Program Design and Implementation (30%) Capabilities/Competencies (20%) Impact/Outcomes, Evaluation, Sustainability, Data Collection Plan (20%) Budget (10%)
Application requirements	Program narrative must not exceed 15 pages	Program narrative must not exceed 30 pages Project abstract must be included in program narrative Applicants must demonstrate that they have queried OJJDP's Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography (SMART) system Applications must include a logic model
Priority considerations	Priority consideration will be given to applications that: include a plan to implement activities that have been demonstrated effective in facilitating successful reentry; include a plan or strategy for recruiting, training and supervising or monitoring volunteer mentors; discuss the role of local governmental agencies, other nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders that will collaborate on project implementation; provide a description of the evidence-based methodology to be used in the delivery of mentoring and other proposed transitional services; provide a description of how the project could be broadly replicated if demonstrated to be effective; include a discussion of the role of state or local corrections departments, community corrections agencies, and/or local jail systems in ensuring successful reentry and how mentoring, transitional, and training services provided under this project will be integrated into the overall reentry strategy; include a plan to promote the sustainability of the project once federal funding ceases.	Priority consideration will be given to applications that: include a plan to implement activities that have been demonstrated effective in facilitating the successful reentry of youth offenders; provide for an independent evaluation that includes, to the maximum extent feasible, random assignment of offenders to program delivery and control groups.
Performance measures	Required performance measures include: reductions in recidivism rates; decreases in crime; increases in employment and enrollment in educational programs; reductions in violations of conditions of supervised release; increases in payment of child support; increases in housing opportunities; reductions in drug and alcohol abuse; increases in participation in substance abuse and mental health services.	Required performance measures include: number of mentors recruited; percent of mentors successfully completing training; percent of trained mentors with increased knowledge of the program area; mentor retention rate; increase in youth enrollment; number of youth served; percent of youth participants completing program requirements; percent of youth participants with new offenses; percent of youth participants exhibiting desired change in the targetd behavior; percent of youth participants with whom an evidence-based practice was used.

 

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The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.

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