DOJ Appropriator Announces FY14 Federal Youth Mentoring Grantees

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02), a leading Congressional champion for youth mentoring and lead Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Department of Justice funding, has announced that the agency has awarded grants totaling more than $62 million to youth mentoring programs across the country. Through his leadership on the committee, Fattah has sought to make mentoring a national priority.

The grants, from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will go to four national mentoring organizations, 10 organizations that offer group mentoring, and 11 organizations across the country that provide combined one-on-one or group mentoring services. The four organizations receiving national mentoring awards are: Boys & Girls Clubs of America ($25 million), National 4-H Council ($9.8 million), National Council of Young Men's Christian Association ($4.6 million), and YouthBuild USA ($1.7 million).

"As a result of this funding, millions more young people across the country will have the opportunity to interact with a mentor, and as a result open their lives to new possibilities, educational opportunities, and career pursuits. Mentoring can be a life-changing experience for our youth—especially those from low-income or disconnected backgrounds—and I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that everyone who needs a mentor has one," Congressman Fattah said. "These organizations have each proven extremely successful in providing tailored mentoring experiences that focus on the specific needs of students in communities across our country."

"Everyone associated with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, including our 325,000 adult staff and volunteers and 4 million young people and their parents, is grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Justice Programs for their longtime support of our life-changing programs for youth most in need, and to Congressman Fattah for recognizing the critical impact of our efforts," said Jim Clark, President and CEO of BGCA. "Thanks to the youth mentoring grants from The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, our Clubs can significantly strengthen both their outreach to kids in the community, and the impact of programs that address academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles – the core outcomes of the Boys & Girls Club experience."

It is currently estimated that more than 14.6 million individuals are in need of a mentor. MENTOR—the National Mentoring Partnership released a report earlier this year showing that at-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to aspire to enroll in and graduate from college than those who did not have one.

Congressman Fattah has worked tirelessly both in and out of Congress to make strides in closing the mentoring gap. Last year, he introduced legislation, America's FOCUS ACT, which would direct revenue from corporate fines, penalties, and settlements into a separate government fund that would significantly increase the number of federal dollars directed to national youth mentoring and STEM education funds.

Additional organizations that will receive $1 million each in mentoring funds for one-on-one and/or group mentoring are:

• Amachi, Inc.
• National Urban League
• Friends FIRST, Inc.
• National Indian Youth Leadership Project
• Close Up Foundation
• Citizen Schools, Inc.
• U.S. Soccer Federation Foundation, Inc.
• Up2US, Inc.
• Museum of Science
• Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
• Center for Supportive Schools
• Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc
• Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Inc
• 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
• Center for Neighborhood Enterprise
• Council on Legal Education Opportunity
• Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry
• National Organization of Concerned Black Men
• Operation HOPE, Inc.
• Southwest Key Programs, Inc.
• U.S. Dream Academy

In a release from the Department of Justice, OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee said, "Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up with the guidance and support of a caring adult. Mentoring programs, such as the ones that OJJDP is supporting this year, help make these healthy and nurturing relationships a reality for thousands of children across the country."

As Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Agencies, Congressman Fattah has elicited support for, and worked to increase the DOJ funding to support mentoring programs for at-risk youth. In addition to his work as architect of GEAR UP, which provides mentoring services through its college preparedness programs, Fattah has forged historic mentoring partnerships between public and private organizations, including the American Innovation and Mentorship (AIM) Agreement with NASA that offers STEM opportunities in Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the country.

Additional information on the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs funding awards can be found at http://ojp.gov/funding/funding.htm.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah