DC Youth and Young Adult Update 8-22-2025

News at NYEC: 

• Registration is Open for NYEC’s Annual Youth Days Event in Washington, D.C., from November 5-7, 2025! NYEC is inviting practitioners, community and organization leaders, and young people to join us to bring a voice for opportunity youth to Congress. Whether you are new to policy and advocacy or a skilled advocate, we will provide the tools and training so you can join us in calling for increased investments and new policies that will benefit young people across the nation. We hope to see you there!  

Legislative Branch:  

Congress is on recess during the month of August, so there will be less Legislative Branch content this month. 

Executive Branch: 

• FEMA Abruptly Disbands Youth Advisory Council, Students to Continue Work: After months of silence, the students at the FEMA youth advisory council got an email on Aug. 1 saying the program would be terminated early. The agency said the move was intended “to ensure FEMA is a lean deployable disaster force that is ready to support states as they take the lead in preparedness and disaster response.” 

• U.S. Department of Education Issues School Choice Guidance: The U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter to State and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with additional guidance on how they might provide equitable services for students enrolled in private schools in more efficient and effective ways to best meet students’ needs. 

• Secretary Chavez-DeRemer Crosses Halfway Mark on 50-State ‘America at Work’ Listening Tour: U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer this week visited the 26th state on her nationwide America at Work listening tour, meeting with Teamsters health care workers in Chicago and touring a family-owned quartz countertop manufacturer in Minnesota. Secretary Chavez-DeRemer launched her “America at Work” listening tour in early April with the goal of bringing real-world feedback from American workers to policymakers in Washington. 

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines: 

No new federal funding opportunities. 

Previously Shared: 

• USDA Grant: Rural Housing Preservation Grant: The HPG program is a grant program which provides qualified public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, which may include but not be limited to, Faith-Based and Community Organizations, and other eligible entities grant funds to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. Applications are due September 4, 2025. 

• DOL Grant: Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund Grant Program: Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund grants of up to $8 million will be awarded to State Workforce Agencies to establish and administer training funds that encourage businesses to create and expand innovative training programs. Priority industries for the grants include artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, nuclear energy, domestic mineral production, and information technology. Additionally, the department intends to award at least $5 million to build a pipeline of skilled American workers in the shipbuilding industry. Applications are due September 5, 2025. 

• HHS Grant: Grants to Support New Investigators in Conducting Research Related to Preventing Interpersonal Violence Impacting Children and Youth: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) helps researchers develop skills in violence prevention research. The goal is to support scientists in becoming independent researchers. Applicants must propose a research project that focuses on at least one of the following NCIPC research priorities related to interpersonal violence and suicide affecting children and youth (birth to age 17). These research priorities include adverse childhood experiences, child abuse and neglect, youth violence, intimate partner violence (including teen dating violence), sexual violence, suicide, and cross-cutting preventions (i.e. examining two or more of these priority topics). Find more information here. Applicants are encouraged to explore multiple forms of interpersonal violence and/or suicide among children or youth, community factors that increase the risk of interpersonal violence and/or suicide, and the practical relevance of the research for prevention and intervention efforts. Applications are due December 1, 2025. 

• HHS Grant: National Center on Head Start Early Learning, Health and Family Engagement: The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start announces the availability of approximately $15,000,000 to be competitively awarded for the purpose of operating the Head Start National Center on Early Learning, Health, and Family Engagement. This NC will provide training and technical assistance that reflects current evidence, is research-informed, and promotes best practices. Applications are due December 15, 2025. 

 

From the States: 

• California: San Diego Foundation Awards $500,000 in Grants to Expand Access to Mental Health Resources for San Diego County Youth. The foundation provided grants to nine nonprofits, reducing disparities in healthcare for those furthest from opportunity in San Diego County. This includes local Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth and young people, ages 15-24. 

• New York: Governor Hochul announced the allocation of $40.6 million for the Youth Employment Program, a key initiative aimed at reducing community gun violence and youth criminal justice involvement by providing year-round employment and training opportunities to at-risk youth in New York State, excluding New York City. The program, part of the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative targets the 21 counties receiving GIVE funding. 

Resources: 

• Nanoscale Facility Thinks Big on Developing Microchip Workforce | Cornell Chronicle: Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) is leveraging virtual reality to build up the semiconductor workforce, starting with young people. CNF has launched a free VR youth outreach module, designed to prepare the next generation of students in cutting-edge microchip fabrication. The module uses high-definition, 360-degree video to bring learners with a VR headset, laptop or tablet computer into CNF’s 17,000-square foot clean room, the high-tech environment where microchips are produced.  

• Oneida County Youth Bureau Seeks 2026 Grant Applications | Oneida County: County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. Announced today that the Oneida County Youth Bureau is accepting 2026 grant applications for high-quality youth programs. They are accepting proposals from interested nonprofit organizations and municipalities for youth-oriented programs that offer delinquency prevention, recreation and positive youth development opportunities.