DC Youth and Young Adult Update 10-17-25

By NYEC | October 17, 2025

News at NYEC:

Registration Closes Oct. 20th 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: 

Due to the government shutdown, there are no new Legislative Branch updates.

Executive Branch:

DOL Releases Training and Employment Notice No. 02-25 on Government Shutdown: This advisory from the DOL’s Employment & Training Administration outlines how a temporary federal government shutdown would affect the administration and delivery of ETA-funded programs and services. It provides guidance to states, workforce agencies, grantees, and stakeholders on compliance, service continuity, and obligations during a lapse in appropriations. It also includes a Q&A addressing specific operational issues, such as funding, reporting, and allowable activities, during the suspension of federal operations.

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines:

No new federal funding opportunities.

Previously Shared:

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Multistate Mentoring Programs: This funding opportunity will support mentoring organizations to enhance and expand mentoring services for children and youth who are at risk or high risk for delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement. Applications are due October 21, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Strategies To Support Children Exposed to Violence: This funding opportunity seeks to develop support services for children exposed to violence in their homes, schools, and communities; and to develop, enhance, and implement violent crime reduction strategies. Applications are due October 21, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Mentoring for Youth Affected by Opioid and Other Substance Use: This funding will enhance and expand mentoring services for children and youth affected by opioids and other substance use, as well as their families. Applications are due October 23, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Enhancing Juvenile Indigent Defense: This funding opportunity seeks to support local implementation of juvenile indigent defense practices and services that strengthen and improve the representation of youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Applications are due October 23, 2025.

DOJ Grant: BJA FY25 Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Program: This funding supports programs designed to prevent and reduce school violence by implementing training, developing school threat assessment teams and/or intervention teams to identify violence risks, introducing technologies like anonymous reporting tools, or applying other school safety strategies that assist in preventing violence. Applications are due October 27, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 National Mentoring Programs: This funding supports the implementation and delivery of mentoring services to youth that are at risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, and juvenile justice system involvement. Applications are due October 27, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program: This funding supports the delivery of substance use prevention programs for youth in schools and extracurricular settings in coordination with local law enforcement and community coalitions. Applications are due October 27, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Emergency Planning for Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities: This funding will support the development, implementation and improvement of emergency planning activities for state, Tribal, county, and local juvenile justice residential facilities. Applications are due October 27, 2025.

DOJ Grant: BJA FY25 Office of Justice Programs Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative: This funding opportunity supports law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and improve police-community relations through a range of cross-sector enforcement, prevention, and intervention strategies that leverage active collaboration with communities through sustained partnerships and engagement. Applications are due October 27, 2025.

DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Reducing Recidivism for Female Juvenile Delinquents: This funding will support the development, enhancement, or expansion of intervention programs for female juvenile delinquents. Applications are due October 27, 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. 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:

Alabama: Community advocate Rodney “DJ Rod Ski”, the City of Mobile, Mobile County Public Schools, Bishop State Community College, and local industry leaders have developed a 2026–2027 Youth Agenda, titled “Building Pathways, Building Futures.” This comprehensive plan is focused on youth empowerment, mental health, and workforce development with a goal of training and employing 200 high-risk youth each year.

California: Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1376, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland). This legislation caps juvenile probation at 12 months after a court hearing unless an extension is justified, and requires that probation conditions be tailored to each youth’s developmental needs rather than being overly broad or punitive.

Resources:

First Focus on Children Issue Brief: How a Government Shutdown Hurts Kids: This issue brief explains how federal government shutdowns disrupt essential programs serving kids — like nutrition, early childhood education, and housing supports.

NAHRO 2025 Government Shutdown Resources: The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) has developed a comprehensive list of housing resources to help providers navigate the government shutdown.