County Seeks Proposals for 2025 Youth Team Sports Program Funding

 Grant workshops set for Sept. 10^th; local youth organizations encouraged to attend

The Division of Youth Services has scheduled grant workshops, expected to run approximately two hours, at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center, 392 Creek Road in Poughkeepsie. Agencies are highly encouraged to attend one of the following grant workshops specific to this YTS funding opportunity:

• Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 1:30 p.m.

Please contact Juliana Corbett at 845-486-3354 or Juliana.Corbett@dfa.state.ny.us to register for a workshop. The department will review the requirements to apply, the step-by-step process of applying online and address any concerns or questions.

The application period for the YTS grant is open from Tuesday, Sept. 10 to Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. All grants are due to the Division of Youth Services through the online grant portal on or before Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, by 5 p.m. Comprehensive information regarding this program, including application instructions, are available online on the NYS Office of Children and Family Services Grant Funding page on the County’s website.

Participating in sports teaches children valuable life skills, such as teamwork, discipline and perseverance, while also promoting physical health, building confidence and fostering a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship. The Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services’ Youth Services Division is requesting proposals for youth team sports programming from local community-based organizations and nonprofits for program year Jan. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2025.

Youth team sports funding is grounded in the principles of positive youth development and is intended to provide support to local team sports programs in communities where programs may be scarce or under-resourced. Youth development through team sports aligns with Dutchess County’s “Path to Promise” domains: Learning, Material Basics, Safety, Family/Relationships, Mental Health and Physical Health.

Local youth-serving organizations that provide team sports opportunities to youth under age 18 are encouraged to apply for grant awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.   A total of $121,198 is available through the New York State Children and Families Services Youth Teams Sports Reimbursable Grant*.  This funding opportunity defines a “team sport” as an organized physical activity in which groups of two or more individuals compete with two or more opposing individuals.

Eligible applicants should be either a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or other community-based organization with a federal identification number, operating in Dutchess County with the ability to meet the County’s insurance requirements. Eligible programs must provide free, direct services to all youth. Organizations awarded grants for 2024-2025 Youth Development Programming (YDP) or the 2024-2025 Youth Sports and Education Opportunity Funding (YSEF) are not eligible for 2025-26 funding.

Funding may provide general operating support to give agencies the flexibility to efficiently allocate resources for quality programming. This may include educational instruction necessary to prepare youth to participate in team sports.