Mentoring Programs Funded by the Federal Government Dedicated to Disadvantaged Youth: Issues and Activities

Publication Date: March 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Social conditions

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Abstract:

Mentoring is often defined as a relationship maintained between a youth and an adult who supports, guides, and assists the youth. Federal funding for targeted mentoring programs has increased in recent years, and the Bush Administration has indicated that expansion of mentoring services for certain disadvantaged youth is a priority.

A 2003 report by the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth identified and listed about 123 federally funded programs under a mentoring heading. Closer scrutiny of those listed programs, however, revealed that all except three appeared to be programs that were not solely dedicated to mentoring, but actually were projects that had mentoring components, or that would allow funding for mentoring programs, if requested. The federal government appears to fund only three programs in which mentoring is the primary focus -- the Department of Education's (ED's) school-based mentoring project authorized by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act; the Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS's) Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program authorized by the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Act; and the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) juvenile mentoring activities.

The school-based mentoring program is designed to serve disadvantaged middle school students. For FY2004, the three-year grant program was appropriated $49.7 million; for FY2005, $49.3 million; and $48.8 million for FY2006. The President has requested $19 million for the program for FY2007.

MCP is designed to nurture children in the nation with one or both parents incarcerated. In FY2004, $49.7 million was appropriated for the program; for FY2005, $49.6 million; and for FY2006, $49.5 million. The President has requested $40 million for MCP for FY2007.

From FY1994 to FY2003, DOJ authorized and funded the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) as Part G of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA, P.L. 93-415, as amended) to provide one-to-one adult mentoring of at-risk youth. In FY2002, JJDPA was reauthorized, eliminating JUMP and folding mentoring efforts into a Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant (JDPBG) program as Part C of JJDPA. Although Part G was repealed in FY2002, Congress has continued appropriating Part G funding for DOJ mentoring projects, including $9.87 million for FY2006. In FY2005, OJJDP proposed a new mentoring project, "The Mentoring for System Involved Youth Initiative," to expand existing mentoring plans/projects designed to help youth involved in the juvenile justice system, and those in foster care. The President has not requested FY2007 funding for mentoring under Part G, but has requested $33.4 million for Part C, JDPBG, out of which mentoring can be funded, and $6.54 million for mentoring demonstration projects.