CANTON — The St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau is now accepting funding proposals from community-based non-profit organizations to provide sports programs for underserved children and youth ages six to seventeen.   

These funds are provided by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and are distributed through the St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau for programs operating from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Claims for this period are due by June 30, 2023.

The following principles should be considered when applying:

• Sports are effective tools in positive youth development and family engagement, when delivered well by programs and minimum quality measures are met.

• Sports improve the lives of young people by promoting positive social, emotional, health, and educational outcomes and have important life-long impacts.

• Sports enable opportunities for young people to succeed economically through leadership roles.

• Coaching education greatly improves the sports experience and development outcomes of young people.

Eligible programs must meet at least one of the following program indicators:

• Historically under-resourced communities deemed “low income” via externally available tools such as Census Bureau or USDA income eligibility.

• Marginalized communities or groups with higher barriers to participation in sports (e.g., youth with disabilities, girls,
transgender/gender non-binary youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning identified youth)

• Federally and/or New York State recognized tribes and tribal organizations

• Neighborhoods that experience higher rates of crime and violence and poorer performing schools.

• Programs must meet the following criteria:

• Provide structured sports activities for youth ages 6-17 in New York State.

• Be certified as tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

• Be in good standing with the New York State Charities Bureau.

• 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 such a fashion as to be able to accurately report anonymized aggregate data.

“We are excited to be able to offer additional sports funding and look forward to working with programs serving marginalized communities,” stated St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau Director, Alexa Backus.

Proposals for funding must be submitted to the St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau by Friday, June 10, 2022.  Proposals received after this date will not be considered.  

All those interested in submitting a proposal must contact the Youth Bureau at 315-379-9464 or email slcyouthbureau@gmail.com for an electronic copy of the RFP and application.

The St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau is committed to its continued advocacy on behalf of the children, youth, and families of St. Lawrence County and to the support of those agencies that provide invaluable services to its residents.