The Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services (DMHSS) is accepting applications for funding provided by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to support Youth Sports Programs for under-resourced youth under the age of 18.
Donor Name: Chautauqua County
State: New York
County: Chautauqua County (NY)
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 06/17/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Chautauqua County Youth Bureau is looking to increase the positive impact that athletics have on young people in the county.
For the purposes of this funding opportunity, the following program/service areas have been identified as priorities:
- Youth Sports Education Funding (YSEF) – Programs that enable youth to be active and encourage physical fitness. OCFS encourages a wide and flexible definition of sports that includes organized activities with movement, including physical fitness activities such as, but not limited to yoga, hiking, dance, and active outdoor pursuits
- Youth Team Sports (YTS) – Programs that support an organized physical activity. OCFS defines “team sport” as an organized physical activity in which groups of two or more individuals compete with two or more opposing individuals. Sporting activities where individuals engage in competition on behalf of an organized group including, but not limited to, team tennis, team golf, or racing sports such as swimming or skiing.
Eligible Programs
Eligible programs must provide community-level services designed to promote and provide a variety of sports for a broad range of “at risk” youth in under-resourced communities in Chautauqua County. OCFS encourages a wide and flexible definition of sports that includes organized activities with movement, including physical fitness activities including but not limited to yoga, hiking, dance, and active outdoors pursuits, as well as team sports. All funded programs must aim to foster the following:
- Educational connection and achievement – More youth attending and completing school with increased attainment, including programs that have collegiate placement success
- Physical health and well-being – Increasing physical activity and positive relationships to one’s body and physical activity
- Mental health and well-being – Improving outcomes related to youth mental health and social and emotional skills development and connectedness
- Employment – Increasing qualifications and skills, such as collective problem solving, teamwork and dispute resolution, which help prepare youth for suitable employment
- Community cohesion – Breaking down barriers to reduce discrimination, crime and violence in communities and help young leaders emerge.
Funding Information
- Funding is reimbursement based
- Each applicant may request up to $10,000 in funding to support programming.
Grant Period
October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Uses of Fund
Municipal youth bureaus will contract with local organizations, municipalities and/or local or municipal youth bureaus directly. Funding may provide general operating dollars to give programs flexibility to efficiently allocate resources for quality programming. Line-item budgets should focus on programming costs, including but not limited to the following:
- Coaches/instructors/direct service staff/mentors (including training/professional development)
- Infrastructure improvements (repave courts/reseed fields, new nets, storage for equipment, etc.)
- Permits/fees, including access to fields, courts, etc.)
- Equipment, gear, uniforms
- Scholarship/offset cost of youth registration
- Educational programming costs (first aid, supplies, snacks, etc.)
- Costs associated with adaptability/making the activity accessible for youth with disabilities
- Facility/field and/or space cost
- Maximum of 15% of funds for administrative/overhead costs for the implementing agency only.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants eligible for funding through this RFP must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants are community-based organizations incorporated as not-for-profit entity
- Certified as tax-exempt entities under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, public agencies which provide needed services that private not-for-profit corporations are unable to service in the community, and Chautauqua County municipalities
- Provide structured sports activities for Chautauqua County youth ages 6-17
- Demonstrate basic competency in the areas of governance, monitoring and evaluation, partnership and financial stewardship
- Have a child protection policy in place that includes adherence to local city, agency, school district and state child protection guidelines
- Collect registration data, including participant demographic information, as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data
For more information, visit Chautauqua County.
