• Students involved in mentoring groups often gain extra support and improve their academic achievement.Cheerful youth image by Aliaksandr Zabudzko from Fotolia.com
  
  Author Samuel Taylor Coleridge once wrote: "Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind." Those who involve themselves with mentoring programs for children and young adults live by this motto; advice that they can give will sink into these young minds and help them become more productive adults. Programs can be pricey to fund, however, but there are a number of sources that provide funds for productive mentoring.
  
  

Recovery Act Local Youth Mentoring Initiative

• The United States Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention believes that local mentoring programs have the ability to develop and implement effective mentoring strategies that reduce juvenile delinquency and violence. Because of this belief, it offers grants for youth mentoring programs.
  
  Both public and private organizations can apply for grants through the Recovery Act Local Youth Mentoring Initiative. Grants will be given to organizations that form community partnerships and provide productive and safe mentoring for children. These mentoring programs should last for at least 12 months or for an entire academic year. Organizations eligible for these grants must target a group under the age of 18 that is considered at-risk or high-risk---this means that the youth are exposed to potential risk for academic failure or negative juvenile behavior issues in their families, schools or communities.
  
  The program rewards up to $500,000 per award over a maximum span of four years. The total number of awards granted depends on the number of applicants and the value of the awards.
  
  U.S. Department of Justice
  950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC 20530
  202-616-1611
  ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2009/ARRALocalYouthMentoring.pdf
  
  

Mentoring Children of Prisoners

• Research conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services indicates that approximately two million children in the United States have at least one parent in a federal or state correctional facility. Familial incarceration can disrupt children's relationships with their parents, as well as affect their emotional well-being and socialization.
  
  Mentoring programs dedicated to these struggling youth can help them adjust and lead normal lives. The government offers grants to communities that provide mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. Those who receive the grants must provide proper and positive adult role models for these children, and services to preserve families. Also, if appropriate, these programs must help these children remain connected to their incarcerated parent. Grant recipients must employ a diverse group of mentors who spend at least one hour per week, for at least one year, with each participating child. Mentors must also be well-trained and their work with the children must be routinely evaluated.
  
  Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program
  National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
  P.O. Box 13505
  Silver Spring, MD 20911
  301-608-8098
  ncfy.acf.hhs.gov
  
  

Department of Education Grants

• The United States Department of Education also provides a number of mentoring grants to programs that provide supportive mentors to children. These programs should focus on improving academic achievement and interpersonal relationships, and decreasing dropout rates and juvenile delinquency.
  
  The Department of Education grants must be used for school-based mentoring programs for students in grades four through eight who live in rural, high-crime, or violent areas. These grants can provide up to $200,000 per year to eligible programs, and will fund projects for as long as 36 months.
  
  U.S. Department of Education, OSDFS
  550 12th Street, SW
  Room 10120, PCP
  Washington DC 20202
  202-245-7883
  www2.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/index.html