Funding opportunity for organizations working with youth who are justice involved

Funding Opportunity: Expanding Community-Based Service for Youth Who are Justice Involved

The Center at Sierra Health Foundation (The Center) and the State of California’s Office of Youth and Community Restoration are pleased to announce a new funding opportunity. Transform Youth Justice’s (TYJ) Community-Based Organization (CBO) Capacity Building Initiative aims to improve the health, social and intergenerational life course outcomes of youth who are justice involved and their families. The initiative will provide funding support to CBOs for 26 months to expand their capacity to meet the social determinants of health needs of youth who are justice involved through technical assistance provided by National Center for Youth Law, Public Works Alliance and The Center, and through learning community opportunities. Awarded organizations will also be encouraged to develop or strengthen diversion programs to advance health and racial equity for youth who are justice involved in California.

The Project

The TYJ CBO Capacity Building Initiative will support and provide a statewide network of organizations working on implementing services, programs, inclusive of diversion programs and other supports for youth who are justice involved that are healing-based, trauma-informed, gender responsive, and culturally and linguistically appropriate.

The initiative will offer technical assistance by Public Works Alliance and National Center for Youth Law, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and at least three learning community convenings.

Funding Details

Over a period of approximately 26 months, up to eight community-based organizations will each receive $500,000 to expand services and supports, inclusive of diversion programs for youth who are justice involved ages 12 to 26 in four regions in California. Awarded funds will prioritize expanding the capacity of emerging grassroots community-based organizations and Tribal organizations, including federally designated 638 Indian Health Services (IHS) providers (CBO’s and urban clinics) in the following regions:

  • Northern California: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Siskiyou, Shasta, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba Counties
  • Sierra Nevada: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Lassen, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, and Tuolumne Counties
  • Inland Empire (I.E.) / Imperial Valley: Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties
  • San Joaquin Valley: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties

Eligibility

The TYJ CBO Capacity Building Initiative will focus on building or expanding the capacity of two types of organizations to serve youth who are justice involved and is open to CBOs that may have a contract with a county or city agency in their area to provide some of these services:

  1. CBOs already serving youth: Grassroots, community-based organizations engaged in social justice advocacy or direct service organizations serving youth ages 12 to 18, looking for funding and working to access and/or establish relationships with juvenile justice system stakeholders in these regions.
    And
  2. CBOs not yet serving youth: Grassroots, community-based organizations or direct services organizations that are not yet serving youth under 18 but have experience, expertise, and a track record in working in the mental health, behavioral health, and/or justice sector, serving transition-age youth up to age 26.

This RFA process will assess applicants’ technical assistance needs, regional and county juvenile justice landscapes, and organizational capacities. Post-award, the awarded organizations’ leadership, adaptive, management, and technical capabilities will be further evaluated. For the full funding opportunity information and application instructions, please review the Request for Applications and apply via our online application. Applications are due by August 15, 2024, at 1 pm Pacific Time. Application link is in the Request for Applications PDF.

Download the Request for Applications (PDF)


Resources and Additional Information

The Center will hold webinars to review the request for applications. Participation in the webinar is not required but it is strongly encouraged. If you are not able to participate in the webinar, a video recording will be available following the webinar. We will also host three office hour sessions to provide additional support on the RFA, application, and application submission process. Office hours are optional.

RFA Review Webinar

Our review webinars have passed. Please download the Webinar Presentation PDF here for more information on what was covered.

You can watch the webinar below and on Youtube.

RFA Office Hours

Tuesday, August 13
1pm – 2pm (Pacific Time)
Register on Zoom

Transform Youth Justice: CBO Capacity Building Initiative Request for Applications Questions and Answers

Please email questions to tyj@shfcenter.org with the subject line: “OYCR CBO CBI RFA Question.”