Latest round of Youth Development Funding for summer 2021 announced

Mayor Kim Janey and the Offices of Health and Human Services and Public Safety today announced $110,000 in grant funding available through the 2021 Youth Development Fund to support and increase youth development and violence prevention programming, specifically for the summer months. With the current funding round, the City of Boston will prioritize applicants that look to strengthen or expand existing summer violence prevention efforts for young adults between the ages of 10 and 25, with the goal of ensuring a safe and productive summer. Non-profit organizations serving youth will be selected to receive funding awards that will vary in size. Applications are now open, and responses are due Monday, June 21, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

“This summer we will promote peace and healing in our communities. We are engaging community-based organizations to boost summer programming and efforts that help keep Boston safe,” said Mayor Janey. “Key to the Summer Safety Plan is our partnership and collaboration with community residents. Maintaining public safety is a citywide responsibility that we all share. Working together we will identify and address the root causes of violence, create pathways to opportunities for our youth, and strengthen relationships.”

The Youth Development Fund is awarding grants to Boston youth-serving nonprofits to increase or scale up programs for June through August. Funding will be awarded to support activities that fit into the City of Boston's framework of violence prevention, intervention, response and recovery, and will use a public health approach. Applicants should clearly explain how their activities will prevent, intervene, respond to or help the community recover from violence. 

The following applications will be prioritized:

• Applications from non-profit organizations in Boston to expand intentional outreach and engagement for specific youth and young adults who are high-risk or proven-risk
• Applications from nonprofit organizations in Boston neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted by gun or youth violence. 
• Applications from youth-serving Boston nonprofit organizations with a proven track record of successfully implementing Positive Youth Development approach and/ or Meaningful Youth Engagement practices.

Of the 34 organizations or programs funded in the winter, 30 are led by a person of color and 12 are woman-led. In total, 2,401 youth were served across Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, West End and West Roxbury. 85 percent of those served are youth of color.

At the end of May, Mayor Janey announced the City of Boston’s 2021 Summer Safety Plan, alongside the Offices of Health and Human Services and Public Safety, and the Boston Police Department. The multi-departmental, collaborative plan is guided by the public health lens of prevention, intervention, response and recovery initiatives. To prevent violence, the City will direct activities, programs and policies on constructive engagement. For intervention, Boston will employ strategies for behavioral change or improve specific outcomes for specific communities. The City will respond to violence by mitigating community impact and meeting the immediate needs of victims and families. The recovery from violence will ensure ongoing and long-term support for individuals, neighborhoods, and communities as a whole. 

For more information about the Youth Development Fund, please visit here.

The Mayor’s Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the largest cabinet in the City with ten departments and offices that span work across multiple communities all striving to create a healthier Boston. Committed to promoting and ensuring the health and well-being of the City’s most vulnerable residents, HHS provides a wide array of critical programs and services all while advocating for systemic change to tackle root causes of some of our most pressing challenges in the City. HHS departments work with and for the populations with the greatest needs in our city, including Veterans, youth, persons with disabilities and our aging residents.  

The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety (OPS) studies, develops, and initiates violence intervention and prevention programs and policies. OPS works to tackle the challenges and problems around violence in our neighborhoods by coordinating the delivery of services and resources administered by various agencies, departments, and cabinets across the City of Boston.