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Frequently Asked Questions
The questions (and answers) in this section focus mainly on
eligibility requirements and our grant review process.
Refer to the contracts section
for any questions regarding your YouthReach Initiative contract.
What’s new in the upcoming YouthReach application and review cycle?
The new guidelines and application include a number of changes:
- The application and funding will expand to a three-year cycle.
- The new designation of “YouthReach Partners” was created for those programs
in which the MCC has the longest investment. Learn
more.
- Funds will be set aside as venture capital for very new programs, not simply programs that are new to YouthReach funding.
- The long-term match requirements have been reduced to better serve programs in small communities.
- MCC staff will play a more active role in evaluating applications’ alignment with YouthReach priorities.
- The application is entirely online.
- Panelist training sessions have been added, and the actual panel meetings will be webinars.
Despite the many changes, the core values of the YouthReach Initiative are unchanged. The MCC will continue funding in-depth learning experiences in arts, humanities, or sciences of the highest quality. And it will do so within the context of collaborative, holistic, asset-based youth development, for the Commonwealth's most vulnerable young people.
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Who is eligible to apply to the YouthReach
Initiative?
To be eligible for YouthReach applicants must:
- Be a cultural organization or an organization with a strong
history in the proposal's primary discipline (arts, humanities,
or interpretive sciences)
- Be incorporated in Massachusetts as a nonprofit
- Have tax-exempt status under IRS Section 501(c)(3)
Applicants must also have collaborators which may be:
- Cultural organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Other organizations providing services to the project
Schools are not eligible for YouthReach grants, and YouthReach funds
cannot be used for programs that take place in a school during the school
day.
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When is the application due?
The deadline for YouthReach applications from projects that have not previously been funded through YouthReach is January 12, 2013. Requests for continued YouthReach funding are due May 3, 2013.
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What age young people is YouthReach interested in funding?
Successful YouthReach programs typically work with young people somewhere between 12 and 20 years of age (although rarely is one program serving such a wide range). The tendency towards programs serving older youth is in line with the emphasis on providing in-depth experiences designed to encourage mastery of a discipline. Developmentally, younger children tend to be served better through more introductory or exposure programs.
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Is YouthReach designed specifically for urban
youths?
Certainly not. YouthReach is designed for young people at risk
of not making a successful transition from adolescence to young
adulthood. Across the Commonwealth, this can and does include
a wide range of needs. From the pressing need of lessening youth
crime in the inner city to breaking down the isolation and alienation
of life in rural Massachusetts, each setting has unique strengths
to build on and challenges to overcome.
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How much is a typical YouthReach grant?
Current grants range from $7,500-$11,660. YouthReach grants must
be matched.
Future grant amounts will be determined by the money available and the number of projects funded.
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Is my summer program or vacation-week intensive a good match for YouthReach?
Probably not. Typically, programs in which an individual young person is enrolled for only a short period of time are not very successful against the YouthReach criteria. This is in line with the emphasis on encouraging mastery in a discipline (something hard to do in a week or even four weeks), and with the emphasis on funding programs that meet the developmental needs of participating young people. Programs based on a positive youth development approach tend to encourage sustained, long-term involvement by participating young people, offering them expanding opportunities as they progress. Developing supportive, meaningful relationships between individuals, another key aspect of positive youth development programs, takes time, as does meaningful youth leadership within a program.
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Can you explain what you mean by a “positive youth development” program?
"Positive youth development" refers to a specific and intentional way of working with young people. Positive youth development refers to both a philosophy and an approach. Key themes in positive youth development include focusing on positive youth outcomes, balancing services, opportunities and supports and ensuring youth participation — real decision making power.
For more information, visit findYouthInfo.gov
and Key
Characteristics of Youth Development Programs.
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Who should my collaborators be?
There is no single answer to this question. It really depends
on the strengths and needs of the applicant organization, the
young people with whom the program is designed, and the context
and community in which you are working. The most effective programs
operate as part of a network. Whether formally through coalitions
and other vehicles, or informally through relationships and natural
alliances, the most effective programs coordinate with other organizations
and efforts within the community. What organizations you should
enlist as collaborators depends on what partners you need to better
meet the holistic needs of the young people.
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Can a school apply for YouthReach funding?
Schools are ineligible, and YouthReach funds cannot be used
for programs that take place in a school during the school day.
Schools can participate as a collaborator, but generally speaking, a
school should not be the primary community partner. If a school is interested
in being part of a YouthReach application, they should carefully review
the guidelines and then contact the YouthReach
Program Manager.
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How are applications reviewed?
Once the applicant hits “Submit” and the electronic application is submitted, staff reviews it for eligibility and appropriateness. Ineligible applications and those that are not a good fit by this staff review will be eliminated from further consideration. The remaining applications are then distributed electronically to the reviewers.
The YouthReach panel review process takes place through the
spring. The state budget process that determines the MCC's
appropriation for the new fiscal year ends usually in late
June/early July. Once the MCC has received its appropriation,
the staff organizes all the YouthReach Initiative panels'
recommendations in the context of the agency's available funds.
These recommendations go to the MCC board for review and approval
in late-August. Applicants are notified of their funding status
in early September.
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Who are the panelists?
Panelists are administrators, artists, humanists, scientists,
and youth development specialists who represent diverse geographic,
ethnic, philosophical and aesthetic perspectives and have no
conflicts of interest with applicants or collaborators. We welcome
new panelist nominations.
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What role do site visits play in the review process?
Site visits play a critical role by providing one of the panelists
with direct, in-person contact with your program, your people,
your space, and your community. On the site visit, the panelist
is looking for evidence to document the degree to which the proposed
program aligns with the YouthReach review criteria. Information
and impressions from the site visit are brought to the full panel
during their review. For more on how to prepare for the site visit,
see the Site
Visit Report (PDF) form reviewers complete and "Preparing
for Your Site Visit (PDF)."
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Why won't the site visitor attend my final showcase, performance, or other culminating event?
Past unsuccessful applicants, current grantees, and panelists concur--visiting a program during a normal working session is more informative than attending a final event. As exciting as the showcase events always are, seeing the process in action is more useful in understanding the relationships, the teaching practices, and the philosophies on which the proposed program is built.
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How do I get an application?
YouthReach in an online application process. Be sure, however,
to read the guidelines and application
instructions before beginning the online
process.
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What if I have more questions?
If you have further questions, contact the YouthReach Program Manager.
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