OJJDP FY 2026 Mentoring for Youth Impacted by Opioids and Other Substance Use
Supports high-quality mentoring for youth using or dependent on substances, at risk of substance use, or with close family members experiencing substance use or dependency.
Funder: Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
Due Dates: October 16, 2026 (Recommended SAM.gov registration start) | October 30, 2026 (Latest SAM.gov registration start) | November 16, 2026 (Grants.gov SF-424) | November 23, 2026 (JustGrants full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $650,000 (Local Project Sites) or $2,000,000 (Statewide and Regional) for 36 months; $16,500,000 estimated total funding
Summary: Supports high-quality mentoring for youth affected by their own or family members’ substance use, including youth at risk.
Key Information: Applicants need three consecutive years of uninterrupted youth mentoring and a partnership with a licensed and/or accredited substance use treatment agency.
Description
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, funds mentoring services for youth currently using or dependent on substances, at risk of substance use, or affected by close family members’ substance use or dependency. Supported approaches include one-on-one, group, peer, combined, and hybrid in-person and virtual mentoring.
The program aims to improve academic performance, reduce school dropout, substance use, delinquency, and other problem behaviors, and expand existing mentoring programs’ capacity. Funding supports services for youth and families and training mentors to recognize signs of substance use. Local Project Sites integrate mentoring with prevention, treatment, recovery, and support. Statewide and Regional projects expand mentoring capacity in areas with demonstrated high levels of substance use.
