County Seeks Proposals for 2024-2025
Youth Program Funding
Grant workshops set for March 12th and 14th
Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services’ Division of Youth Services is requesting proposals for youth programming services from municipalities and nonprofit, community-based organizations for the program year on October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025.
Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded in the following categories:
• Youth Development Programs
• Youth Sports and Education Opportunity Funding
• Runaway and Homeless Youth
Eligible applicants should be either a Dutchess County municipality or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, community-based organization with a federal identification number and charity registration number, operating in Dutchess County, and must meet the County’s insurance requirements. Programs will be required to demonstrate knowledge of and have staff trained in Positive Youth Development. Agencies will also be expected to show how the program addresses one of Dutchess County’s “Path to Promise” domains/value areas: Economic Security, Physical and Emotional Health, Education, Citizenship/Civic Engagement, Family and Community.
The Division of Youth Services has scheduled two Grant Workshops for nonprofit agencies and municipalities interested in more information. The workshops are being held at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center, 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie 9 to 11 a.m.:
• Tuesday, March 12, 2024
• Thursday, March 14, 2024
Please contact Juliana Corbett at 845-486-3354 or Juliana.Corbett@dfa.state.ny.us to register for a workshop. Youth Services will review the step-by-step process of applying online through the Dutchess County Grant Portal and address any concerns or questions.
Specific funding eligibility requirements are as follows:
Youth Development Programs (YDP): Grants will be awarded to programs for youth up to age 21 that provide free, direct services designed to improve youth and community outcomes, as outlined in the OCFS-5003 Program Components-Coding Document, Rev. 3/2018. Programs must address one of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ six life areas, which are: Economic Security, Physical and Emotional Health, Education, Citizenship/Civic Engagement, Family, and Community.
Youth Sports and Education Opportunity Funding (YSEF): Grants will be awarded to programs that serve youth under age 18 and aim to foster educational connections and achievement; physical health and well-being; mental health and well-being; employment; and/or community cohesion.
Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY): RHY services are grounded in the Positive Youth Development framework and focus on supporting and developing healthy relationships to enhance youths’ existing strengths and resiliency, while incorporating youth voice and leadership into programming. Residential RHY crisis services programs are certified by OCFS to provide temporary shelter to runaway and homeless youth under age 18. The goal of RHY crisis services programs is to support a safe reunification of youth with their guardians, where appropriate.
Additional information about the grant eligibility criteria is available on Youth Services’ grant funding webpage.
All 2024-2025 grant applications are due to the Division of Youth Services on or before Thursday, April 11, 2024, by 5 p.m.
Funding is made available through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. In 2023-2024, 25 programs were awarded more than $294,000 in funding. The amount of funding will be subject to the availability.
NYS Office of Children and Family Services (NYS OCFS) Grant Funding
County Seeks Proposals for October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025 grant cycle. Informational grant workshops are scheduled for March 12th and March 14th, 2024, at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center, 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie, NY; each workshop takes place from 9 a.m.—11 a.m.
Use this link to navigate to the Dutchess County Grant Portal where you can login to an existing account or create a new account. Please only create one account per organization. You should consider using your organization’s general email and a shared password to be used by anyone within your organization who might work on an application within the grant portal, now or in the future.
The Dutchess County Division of Youth Services administers funds for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).There is an annual request for proposals and applications for Youth Development Programming (YDP), Youth Sports and Education (YSEF) programming, and Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) funding. The program year runs from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025 (2024-2025).
Funded programs are selected through a competitive request for proposals process. The Dutchess County Youth Board and Coordinating Council is responsible for reviewing, scoring, and making allocation recommendations to the county executive for grant proposals.
Program funding will be awarded in the following three categories:
Youth Development Programs (YDP): Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to programs that provide free, direct services designed to improve youth and community outcomes, as outlined in the OCFS-5003 Program Components-Coding Document, Rev. 3/2018. Programs must address one of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ six life areas, which are: Economic Security, Physical and Emotional Health, Education, Citizenship/Civic Engagement, Family, and Community.
Positive youth development programs strengthen young people’s sense of identity, belief in the future, self-regulation, and self-efficacy as well as their social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral competence. Youth Development Program (YDP) funding targets services that promote safety, supportive relationships, and other positive assets by engaging and empowering youth.
Programs will be expected to:
- Serve Dutchess County youth up to 21 years of age during the program year October 1, 2024—September 30, 2025.
- Demonstrate knowledge of and have staff trained in Positive Youth Development.
- Demonstrate basic competency in the areas of governance, monitoring and evaluation, partnership, and financial stewardship.
- Collect registration data, including participant demographic information as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data.
Youth Sports and Education Opportunity Funding (YSEF): Grants in the amount of $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to programs that aim to foster educational connections and achievement; physical health and well-being; mental health and well-being; employment; and/or community cohesion. To be eligible for YSEF funding, programs must also meet the following criteria:
- Provide structured sports activities for Dutchess County youth under age 18 during the program year October 1, 2024—September 30, 2025
- Demonstrate basic competency in the areas of governance, monitoring and evaluation, partnership, and financial stewardship.
- Have a child protection policy in place that includes adherence to local city, agency, school district, and state child protections guidelines.
- Collect registration data, including participant demographic information as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data.
Agencies must use the following required OCFS Life Area and Services, Opportunities, and Supports (SOS) elections:
- Life area: 2PEH Physical and Emotional Health
- SOS: 0232 Year-round/seasonal activities
- Performance measures:
- How much: 0232A.1—Number of youth participating (unduplicated)
- How Well: 0232B.4—Percent of youth completing the program
- Better Off: 0232C.1—Number and percent reporting they have improved their ability to socialize/interact with peers/family /other members of the community.
Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY): RHY services are grounded in the Positive Youth Development framework and focus on supporting and developing healthy relationships to enhance youths’ existing strengths and resiliency, while incorporating youth voice and leadership into programming. Residential RHY crisis services programs are certified by OCFS to provide temporary shelter to runaway and homeless youth under age 18. The goal of RHY crisis services programs is to support a safe reunification of youth with their guardians, where appropriate.
Applications will ONLY be accepted through the Dutchess County Grant Portal.
Grant Portal Instructions:
- Use this link to navigate to the Dutchess County Grant Portal where you can login to an existing account or create a new account.
- Please only create one account per organization. You should consider using your organization’s general email and a shared password to be used by anyone within your organization who might work on an application within the grant portal, now or in the future.
- Once at the Logon Page, follow instructions to “logon” or “create new account.”
- After successfully creating an account, you will be brought to the “Apply” page where you can click on the “Apply” button that will bring you to the grant application.
- Once you begin an application, it will be saved as a draft. You can re-enter the portal any time prior to the submission deadline to complete the application.
2024-2025 Youth Grant Application Process
The Dutchess County Grant Portal will open on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Applications are due by Thursday, April 11, 2024 by 5:00 pm. Information on eligibility and how to apply is available in the NYS OCFS Grant Application Checklist for Dutchess County Youth Services
Please refer to the NYS OCFS Grant Application Checklist (.pdf) (.doc) for helpful information regarding the application process.
Below is the list of documents needed for funding consideration.
PLEASE NOTE: Applications for the 2024-2025 YDP, YSEF, and RHY funding will be accepted starting Thursday, March 14, 2024.
- Path to Promise Framework and website (.pdf) (.doc)
- OCFS-5001 Individual Program Application-Program Information Updated 2023 (.pdf) (.doc)
- OCFS-5002 Agency Program Profile Updated 2024 (.pdf) (.doc)
- Helpful List for OCFS Form 5002 Edited (.pdf) (.doc)
- OCFS-5003 Program Components Updated 2024 (.pdf) (.doc)
- Coding Document for OCFS 5003-2018 (.pdf) (.doc)
- Division of Youth Services 2024-2025 Attachment I, II, III Logic Model, Outcomes, and Board List (.pdf) (.doc)
- Division of Youth Services 2024-2025 Attachment IV-Projected Program Budget (.xls)
- Dutchess County Liability Insurance Requirements for Agencies (.pdf) (.doc)
- Positive Youth Development online source
- NYS OCFS Grant FAQ’s for Youth Services REVISED 2-2024
For information about how to apply for 2024-2025 YDP, RHYA and YSEF funding please contact:
Doreen E. Clifford, Youth Programs Analyst at doreen.clifford@dfa.state.ny.us.