Grant applications for the 2022 Youth Development Fund now open

Mayor Kim Janey, the Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Public Safety (OPS) are pleased to announce applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Youth Development Fund (YDF) Fall Grant. The Youth Development Fund (YDF) is a yearly competitive grant aimed at supporting nonprofit organizations that work with Boston youth and young adults, ages 10-25.

 A total of $1,250,000 will be awarded to Boston nonprofit organizations providing positive violence intervention, prevention, and response services throughout the city. The YDF will award a total of $1,100,000 in Fall Grants through this application process and at least $150,000 in Summer Grants. The maximum grant award is $60,000 and awards will vary in size. Applications are now open, and responses are due Friday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m. Notifications to award recipients will be sent in October. 

“Developing and protecting our youth are of the most important responsibilities we have as a City,” said Mayor Janey. “As we continue to improve safety on our streets, it’s crucial to listen to the needs of each individual neighborhood. The Youth Development Fund is an essential tool to ensure programming is available to support Boston’s youth and young adults.”

This fund aims to increase the number and variety of youth development programs intentionally contributing to metrics that prevent youth and young adult violence in Boston neighborhoods. The Youth Development Fund will prioritize the following types of organizations: 

• Boston-based nonprofits in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by gun or youth violence
• Youth-serving entities with an intentional focus on outreach and engagement of high-risk/ proven-risk youth and young adults or other specified underserved youth population
• Organizations using the Positive Youth Development framework and/ or Meaningful Youth Engagement practices 

There will also be a concentration on supporting activities that implement evidence-based prevention strategies intended to shape individual behaviors as well as relationship, community, and societal factors that influence the risk for violence. Examples of evidence-based Youth Violence Prevention strategies include but are not limited to: 

• Strengthening youth and young adults’ developmental skills 
• Connecting youth to caring adults and a safe space when not in school 
• Creating protective community environments 
• Intervening to lessen harms and prevent future risk 

"As we continue to work towards an equitable recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, keeping our young people safe and healthy is paramount," said Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez. "The upcoming investments being made in community organizations that work directly with our youth, will ensure that their safety and well being remain a top priority." 

Of the 34 organizations or programs funded last fall, 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.

"It is through key partnerships with nonprofit organizations throughout the City that we're able to ensure and measure the impacts of our violence prevention strategies," said Director of Public Safety Dr. Rufus Faulk. "The Youth Development Fund plays an important role in helping us support our nonprofit partners by providing the funding to strengthen and expand the opportunities they create for Boston youth." 

Nonprofit, youth-serving organizations and organizations using eligible fiscal agents are invited to apply for an award. Please read the eligibility and program requirements carefully as the grant design, priorities and applicant eligibility of the Youth Development Fund have been significantly modified from previous years. The City of Boston will make an effort to be deliberate and intentional with giving in the Boston community, and will look closely at which programs align with the unique needs of each neighborhood.

Learn more about the Youth Development Fund.

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.