Support Mentoring Matching Grants!
Quality program infrastructure is in place in Massachusetts!
With the Governor's budget being released, it's critical that we collectively advocate for continued investment in State dollars with members of the Massachusetts House and Senate to maintain level funding in the FY25 budget for the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634). Your advocacy and engagement with your officials can help to maintain funding for youth across the Commonwealth. Please contact your State Officials to request $1,800,000 in funding for the Mentoring Matching Grants Line Item in the FY25 budget!
Initially created in FY99, the Mentoring Matching Grant is the only mentoring-specific line item in the state budget. It is a critical support for young people, prioritizing evidence-based research and practice to support the field in providing mentoring programs with free training and technical assistance. This money is awarded in collaboration with DESE through a competitive RFP process and community review administered by the Mass Mentoring Partnership.
So, why Mentoring?
- Almost 70% of today’s young people could remember a time when they wanted a mentor for support but didn’t have one. This is the mentoring gap in the United States. The mission of the mentoring movement is to expand investment in programs to ensure every young person has at least one trusting relationship with an adult in their life.
- Mentoring is one of the few prevention and intervention strategies that can effectively address multiple risk and protective factors simultaneously. The average American gives the mentors they had growing up more than 50% of the credit for their success in life. That goes up considerably for those who grew up in poverty or faced serious trauma.
- There is strong public support for government investment in youth mentoring. A public survey in 2019 found that 83% of all Americans expressed some agreement that government funds should be used for youth mentoring.
In FY24, the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634) was increased by the Governor and State Legislature to $1,800,000 allowing MMP to support 48 programs with 7,214 youth currently matched across the Commonwealth. But the need continues to grow. We respectfully request that the House and the Senate continue to level fund the line item to $1,800,000 in the FY25 budget!
Support Mentoring Matching Grants!
Quality program infrastructure is in place in Massachusetts!
With the Governor's budget being released, it's critical that we collectively advocate for continued investment in State dollars with members of the Massachusetts House and Senate to maintain level funding in the FY25 budget for the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634). Your advocacy and engagement with your officials can help to maintain funding for youth across the Commonwealth. Please contact your State Officials to request $1,800,000 in funding for the Mentoring Matching Grants Line Item in the FY25 budget!
Initially created in FY99, the Mentoring Matching Grant is the only mentoring-specific line item in the state budget. It is a critical support for young people, prioritizing evidence-based research and practice to support the field in providing mentoring programs with free training and technical assistance. This money is awarded in collaboration with DESE through a competitive RFP process and community review administered by the Mass Mentoring Partnership.
So, why Mentoring?
- Almost 70% of today’s young people could remember a time when they wanted a mentor for support but didn’t have one. This is the mentoring gap in the United States. The mission of the mentoring movement is to expand investment in programs to ensure every young person has at least one trusting relationship with an adult in their life.
- Mentoring is one of the few prevention and intervention strategies that can effectively address multiple risk and protective factors simultaneously. The average American gives the mentors they had growing up more than 50% of the credit for their success in life. That goes up considerably for those who grew up in poverty or faced serious trauma.
- There is strong public support for government investment in youth mentoring. A public survey in 2019 found that 83% of all Americans expressed some agreement that government funds should be used for youth mentoring.
In FY24, the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634) was increased by the Governor and State Legislature to $1,800,000 allowing MMP to support 48 programs with 7,214 youth currently matched across the Commonwealth. But the need continues to grow. We respectfully request that the House and the Senate continue to level fund the line item to $1,800,000 in the FY25 budget!