DC Youth and Young Adult Update 9-26-2025

News at NYEC: 

• Registration Closes Oct. 10th 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:  

• HELP Committee Chair Cassidy Leads the Pathways to Paychecks Act: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is leading the Pathways to Paychecks Act. The bill amends the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service (ES) program, which facilitates connections between job seekers and employers. The full bill text can be found here.  

Executive Branch: 

• Department of Education Proposed Priority and Definitions Released – Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness: The Department of Education has proposed one additional priority and related definitions for use in currently authorized discretionary grant programs or programs that may be authorized in the future. The proposed priority is titled “Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness.” The Department invites comments regarding the proposed priority and definitions. Comments must be submitted via the Federal Rulemaking Portal at Regulations.gov. 

• SAMHSA Awards More Than $45 Million in Supplemental Funding to Support Young Adult Sober Housing Services: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $45 million awarded to the State Opioid Response (SOR) program recipients to focus on sober or recovery housing among young adults. 

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines: 

No new federal funding opportunities.  

Previously Shared: 

• DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Multistate Mentoring Programs: This NOFO 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 NOFO 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 NOFO 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 NOFO 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 NOFO 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 NOFO 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 NOFO 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/Colorado: The Department of Labor announced that Alabama and Colorado will receive $12.5 million to invest in educational pipelines that lead to more Registered Apprenticeship opportunities. 

• Washington D.C.: The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) announced a $1.5 million grant from Sam’s Club to launch Unlock Potential, a program designed to increase career opportunities for opportunity youth.  

Resources: 

• Rural Youth Wellbeing Learning Series: This webinar by the Rural Youth Catalyst is an overview of recent federal policy changes impacting young people with disabilities and the rural youth programs that support them. 

• ETS Unveils Futurenav Compass to Connect Higher Ed Students to Careers: ETS is working with the California State University (CSU) system to launch the beta of Futurenav Compass, a platform that helps students set career goals, connect each stage of their education to opportunities, and move towards achieving their goals.