Mentoring and transitional services for youths involved in the criminal-justice system will be funded under the U.S. Justice Department's Second Chance Juvenile Mentoring Initiative.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will make grants of up to $625,000 for three years to support evidence-based programs that “match mentoring pairs during the youth¹s confinement and end with successful community reintegration, evidenced by lack of recidivism.”

“This initiative will provide funding to develop, implement, and expand mentoring programs and transitional services,” according to the grant announcement. “Applicants will be expected to integrate best practices into mentoring service models, develop strategies to recruit and maintain mentors, and assess and develop services to respond to the needs of youth offenders reentering their communities. While such programs should be founded on best practices and proven principles, they should be led by collaboratives indigent to the community and designed according to local needs and resources.”

Application deadline is June 15. Government entities and nonprofits may apply. For more details, see the full grant announcement online.