Grants for At-Risk Youth

Experts agree that today’s youth face more serious risks than any previous generation in this country. Situations such as violence in schools, deteriorating family structure, substance abuse, alarming media images, and gang activity put teens at risk for poor academic performance and dropping out of school. Many of these youngsters are likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, engage in criminal activity, or attempt suicide; others run away and eventually find themselves homeless or locked up in juvenile detention centers. According to the Department of Education, at least 8 million "latchkey" children are left alone and unsupervised every day. With only 20% of a child's waking hours being spent in school, these children and youth often turn to unproductive activities including crime.

After-school programs provide the only opportunity for at-risk students to have quality academic support, recreation, or cultural enrichment activities such as music and dance. A recent study found that children who participated in quality after-school programs were emotionally better adjusted and had better relationships with their peers. In California, students participating in after-school programs showed increased academic achievement, regular attendance, good behavior, and a reduction in grade retention. Organizations providing services to at-risk youth, including after-school programming, include Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA and Communities in Schools.

With the well-being of our nation’s youth being such an important issue, several sources of grants for at-risk youth are available. On the federal level, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) provides national leadership on youth and family issues. FYSB’s services focus on strengthening families and communities, and its target populations include runaway and homeless youth, victims of family violence, children of prisoners, and youth at risk for early sexual activity. Several foundations award grants for at-risk youth to national initiatives; these include the Annie. E. Casey Foundation, the Exxon Education Foundation and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Regional grants for at-risk youth are annually given by foundations such as the New York Community Trust, the Cleveland Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the California Endowment.

Grants for at-risk youth are awarded for a wide variety of purposes, including the establishment of transitional living facilities for homeless youth, program development, training, volunteer development, and general operating support.

The above article was written by Saadia Faruqi, author of Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal. Saadia has more than 10 years of grant writing and development experience in the nonprofit sector, including at-risk youth, women’s health, domestic violence, science education, adult and family literacy, and the arts. Prior to starting her own grant writing firm, she worked as Grants Administrator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston. For more information about Saadia visit her blog Grantwriters Zone.