Youth Today

06/01/2023

Analysts say curfews don’t work; cities bet on them as a tool against youth gun violence

Baltimore’s top elected official vowed to reinstate a curfew last month after a 14-year-old and 16-year-old were shot and injured.

Baltimore’s top elected official vowed to reinstate a curfew last month after a 14-year-old and 16-year-old were shot and injured — allegedly by a teen wielding an untraceable gun made from a kit — while police were dispersing a crowd of 200 youth. “I want everyone to hear me and hear me cle...

05/26/2023

DeSantis signs bills targeting drag shows, pronouns, bathroom use and transgender children

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of “preferred pronouns” in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.

Opponents say DeSantis is denying the rights of parents with transgender kids.

05/26/2023

More potent than old-school pot, today’s cannabis has led to poisoning in youth

“It almost felt like a switch in my head,” he said, recalling days when he hallucinated or was too frazzled to get off the couch. “I went full psychotic.”

Minors’ illegal use of cannabis products is a concern in Colorado and other states.

05/26/2023

At graduations, Native American students seek acceptance of tribal regalia

When Kamryn Yanchick graduated, she hoped to decorate her cap with a beaded pattern in honor of her Native American heritage. Administrators told her no.

For Native American students, tribal regalia is often passed down through generations and worn at graduations to signify connection with the community. Disputes over such attire have spurred laws making it illegal to prevent Native American students from wearing regalia in nearly a dozen states incl...

05/26/2023

US book ban push draws students, parents and librarians into national fight

The recent dispute at Pinellas County Schools comes as an unprecedented number of books are being challenged or taken off the shelves.

“We are living in a very disturbing time,” said American Library Association president Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “This is the highest number of book bans that we have tracked since we started tracking them 20 years ago.”Data released last month by the ALA and PEN America detail the ...

05/25/2023

YouTube's recommendations send violent and graphic gun videos to 9-year-olds, study finds

Despite YouTube’s rules and content moderation efforts, the platform is failing to stop the spread of frightening videos that could traumatize vulnerable children.

The accounts that followed YouTube's suggested videos received 382 firearms-related videos in one month.

05/25/2023

Why is a book about love the latest casualty in the book ban culture wars?

How could a book called “Love in the Library” — literally a book about two people with a love for reading discovering love — be the latest casualty (or near casualty) in the war of words over what is readable?

The battle over books continues. Shocking though somehow not surprising, this news story reflects a reality in which ban attempts are hitting record highs and states are moving to limit teaching of information about race, gender and s*xual orientation.

05/12/2023

To end the age of incarceration, three communities pioneer a developmental approach

People ages 18 to 25 are over-represented at every stage of the criminal legal system and have the highest recidivism rate of any age group. It is obvious that we are responding badly to the developmental needs of these emerging adults.

People ages 18-25 are over-represented at every stage of the criminal legal system.

05/11/2023

Free speech, racial equity battles play out on Wisconsin campuses

The fight over racial equity and free speech on Wisconsin college campuses is intensifying, mirroring a national battle as Republicans work to close campus diversity offices and demand students and faculty treat conservative speakers with respect.

Top Republicans announced a push to defund the University of Wisconsin System's diversity efforts.

05/11/2023

“It’s the guns. It’s always been the guns.”

"As a teacher, you just have to come to the realization that if I have to, I will fight somebody with a gun to keep them out of my classroom."

“I’ve gone from scared and terrified, to kinda just really pi**ed off," Smith said. She’s among an increasing number of educators joining the thousands who have rallied, marched and protested, calling for change – and begging lawmakers to listen to them.

05/11/2023

Creative youth development music program grants | Youth Today

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Youth Development, Youth Music, Music Education, Arts/Culture | Amount: $15,000 - $500,000 | Deadline: June 2, 2023

05/10/2023

Rural community development initiative grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Rural Communities, Community/Economic Development, Rural Youth, Climate Change | Amount: $50,000 - $500,000 | Deadline: June 28, 2023

05/10/2023

Teacher appreciation? Try better pay, more governors say

As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases, bonuses and other perks for the beleaguered profession.

As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases, bonuses and other perks for the beleaguered profession — with some vowing to beat out other states competing for educators.

05/10/2023

Community youth running program grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Child/Youth Health, Youth Sports, Physical Activity, Childhood Obesity | Amount: Up to $10,000 | Deadline: June 15, 2023

05/10/2023

Report: Fewer teens in foster care, but less than half find permanent homes

The proportion of U.S. teens and young adults in foster care dropped by half in the past 15 years, including significantly fewer who were removed from their homes due to abuse.

By 2021, neglect was the leading cause the system removed teens from their families.

05/10/2023

Child victims and witnesses support material dissemination grant

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Child/Youth Victims, Justice-involved Youth, Victim Support, Child Safety | Amount: Up to $1,000,000 | Deadline: June 12, 2023

05/10/2023

Youth violence prevention program grants | Youth Today

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Youth Violence, Violence Prevention, Youth Welfare/Safety, Gang Violence, Bullying | Amount: Up to $250,000 | Deadline: June 12, 2023

05/10/2023

Sen. Katie Britt says she hears about it constantly and when she was running for the Senate last year, Britt says, “parent after parent” came up to her wanting to discuss the way social media was harming their kids. http://ow.ly/mrz950OjCH8

05/09/2023

Upper Darby High School has pushed its start time back by more than two hours — from a 7:30 a.m. start time to 9:45 a.m. One goal for the change: to ease strains on students that were more visible than ever coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. http://ow.ly/wHj150OjBmU

05/09/2023

Illinois lawmakers push back on library book bans

Illinois lawmakers greenlighted a bill that says libraries in the state must adopt an anti-book banning policy to receive state funding, in a vote that fissured along party lines.

Libraries in the state must adopt an anti-book banning policy to receive state funding.

05/09/2023

As fentanyl use rises among teens, Arizona requires naloxone in foster homes

Facing rising fentanyl use among teens, Arizona began requiring foster parents to keep naloxone on hand.

In 2021, 44 Arizona children died from fentanyl overdoses.

05/09/2023

Following Native American rituals, hoping to put youthful offenders on a straight path

Behavioral health researchers, often, used to routinely dismiss using cultural rituals to help alter people’s actions, including as a tool to steer at-risk youth away from criminality.

Pushing against that presumption, researchers of color and like-minded others increasingly have proven the case for practice-based evidence to incorporate ritualistic programming into strategies to rehabilitate, among others, juvenile offenders. Supporters of such programming include the National Co...

05/09/2023

As fentanyl use rises among teens, Arizona requires naloxone in foster homes

On Day: “This epidemic has become such that we don’t have the luxury of thinking that whatever we’ve already done in terms of prevention is enough or completely safeguards our children from being exposed," one group home supervisor says.

In 2021, 44 Arizona children died from fentanyl overdoses.

05/04/2023

Healthcare equity and access improvement program grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Health Equity, Healthcare Access, Racial Equity, Low-Income Families | Amount: $200,000 - $250,000 | Deadline: May 31, 2023

05/03/2023

New York City disadvantaged women and girls advancement support grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Women/Girls, Disadvantaged Youth, Gender Equity, Jobs/Careers, Mentorships, NYC | Amount: Unspecified | Deadline: May 31, 2023 (LOI)

05/03/2023

Will California's promise of 'the largest preschool program in the country' meet expectations?

As California continues rolling out a $2.7 billion initiative aimed at having kids complete two years of kindergarten by letting all 4-year-olds enroll in those public school programs, some educators are questioning how well the effort will lead to better long-term success for all school kids.

As California continues rolling out a $2.7 billion initiative aimed at having kids complete two years of kindergarten by letting all 4-year-olds enroll in those public school programs, some educators are questioning how well the effort will lead to better long-term success for all school kids — an...

05/03/2023

Silicon Valley region disadvantaged community action grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Disadvantaged Communities, BIPOC Communities, Racial/Social Justice, California | Amount: Unspecified | Deadline: May 5, 2023

05/02/2023

Incarcerated parents with minor children services and support grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Child/Youth Welfare, Parenting, Incarcerated Parent(s), Youth Services, Justice | Amount: Up to $1,000,000 | May 30, 2023

05/02/2023

Native/tribal higher education student support grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Native/Tribal Students, Native/Tribal Youth, Higher Education, Student Support | Amount: $250,000 - $500,000 | Deadline: May 26, 2023

05/02/2023

Against changing tide, 11 states haven’t limited solitary confinement of juveniles

When, at 19, he was sent to an Upstate New York prison, said Vidal Guzman Jr., corrections officers intermittently locked him in isolation, away from other prisoners and with limited time outside that cell

“Solitary confinement tried to break my soul and whatever was left of me after my childhood trauma,” said Harlem, New York, native Guzman, now 30 and the executive director of America on Trial, a New York group that advocates for incarcerated people. While in solitary, corrections officers somet...

05/02/2023

The first years of the pandemic saw a huge decline in high school students having s*x, according to a government survey. http://ow.ly/3NyL50O9hUM

05/01/2023

💻 Did you receive your copy of the Youth Today Grants Weekly Newsletter? Become a subscriber today to receive new funding opportunities in your inbox every week. View the full listing of grant opportunities: http://ow.ly/qjBc50O5TzU

04/28/2023

Supreme Court rules for deaf student who sued Michigan school district

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided in favor of a deaf student, Miguel Luna Perez, whose lawyers claimed that the public school system in Sturgis, Michigan, neglected him for 12 years and misled his parents about his progress, permanently impairing his ability to communicate. via NBC News

In a unanimous decision, the court says Miguel Luna Perez can pursue a lawsuit claiming the school district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

04/27/2023

Native/tribal higher education student support grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Native/Tribal Students, Native/Tribal Youth, Higher Education, Student Support | Amount: $250,000 - $500,000 | Deadline: May 26, 2023

04/26/2023

Pediatric health, nutrition and environment research project grants | Youth Today

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Child/Youth Health, Child/Youth Welfare, Health, Pediatrics, Research, Nutrition | Amount: Amount: Up to $350,000 | Deadline: May 15, 2023

04/26/2023

Nonprofit sector volunteerism improvement and expansion grants

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: Civic Engagement, Volunteerism, Nonprofit Support, Community | Amount: $100,000 - $1,000,000 | Deadline: May 16, 2023

04/26/2023

Many Young Children Are Not Getting Needed Early Intervention Services

It took five months for a Brooklyn child to receive speech therapy. Federal law requires that infants and toddlers referred for services start therapy within 30 days. via Disability Scoop

Infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities are going without early intervention services or waiting longer than they should to receive them, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic.

04/26/2023

💻 Did you receive your copy of the Youth Today Grants Weekly Newsletter? Become a subscriber today to receive new funding opportunities in your inbox every week. View the full listing of grant opportunities: http://bit.ly/YT-GrantOpportunities

04/26/2023

School safety research and evaluation grants | Youth Today

New Opportunity!
Stay up to date with deadlines and details by visiting our website:

GRANT FOCUS: School Safety, School Violence, Child/Youth Welfare, Bullying, Research | Amount: Up to $5,900,000 | Deadline: May 8, 2023

04/26/2023

Tiny schools, big money: Microschools are increasingly popular among some families of children with disabilities

In November 2021, Rozett McCormick enrolled her son at a Prenda microschool with about 15 students — schools known for their tiny class sizes and flexible learning models can be a better fit for children on the autism spectrum or diagnosed with ADHD or anxiety.

Microschools occupy a space between homeschooling and private schooling but can get public funding, blurring the lines in the educational landscape.Microschools can be run by a company with a national franchising model or be as informal as homeschooling children gathering together in a parent’s ho...