OJJDP is offering the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Outreach and Education Subgrants Program to commemorate its 50th anniversary and enhance community engagement in juvenile justice reform.

OJJDP’s guiding philosophy is to enhance the welfare of America’s youth and broaden their opportunities for a better future. To bring these goals to fruition, OJJDP is leading efforts to transform the juvenile justice system into one that will Treat Children as Children; Serve Children at Home, With Their Families, in their Communities; and Open Up Opportunities for System-Involved Youth. OJJDP encourages all proposed applications that work with youth to highlight how the proposed program aligns with these priorities.

OJJDP envisions a juvenile justice system centered on the strengths, needs, and voices of youth and families. Young people and family members with lived experience are vital resources for understanding and reaching persons involved or at risk of involvement with youth-serving systems. OJJDP asks stakeholders to join us in sustainably integrating bold, transformative youth and family partnership strategies into our daily work. OJJDP believes in achieving positive outcomes for youth, families, and communities through meaningful engagement and active partnerships, ensuring they play a central role in collaboratively developing solutions.

Applicants must describe how their proposed project/program will integrate and sustain meaningful youth and family partnerships into their project plan and budget. Depending on the nature of an applicant’s proposed project, youth and family partnership could consist of one or more of the following:

Individual-level partnership in case planning and direct service delivery (before, during, and after contact with youth-serving systems).
Agency-level partnership (e.g., in policy, practice, and program development, implementation, and evaluation; staffing; advisory bodies; budget development).
System-level partnership (e.g., in strategic planning activities, system improvement initiatives, advocacy strategies, reform efforts).

With this solicitation, OJJDP seeks to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the JJDP Act by enabling an organization to provide financial and technical assistance to an estimated 75 to 100 communities nationwide, reflecting all 50 states, the territories, and the District of Columbia. These subgrants will help to cover the costs associated with convening local youth justice serving agencies and organizations, impacted youth and families, local leaders, and other stakeholders for the purpose of sharing information about the JJDP Act, local delinquency prevention resources, juvenile justice system activities, Youth Justice Action Month, and emerging issues in the community. All final decisions as to which communities will be funded by the intermediary will be made by OJJDP.