Earlier this week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced a new call for proposals under its Forward Promise initiative, a $9.5 million program aimed at improving the health and success of boys and young men of color. This new call for proposals seeks innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen the health of middle school- and high school-aged boys and young men of color, as well as to improve their opportunities for success in school, work, and life. The approach to this process has been informed by research and the more than 300 submissions that we received from the call for ideas we hosted last year. The foundation will award up to 10 Forward Promise Innovation Grants of up to $500,000 each to support projects with preliminary evidence of impact in the following areas: Alternative approaches to harsh school discipline that do not push students out of school: Graduating from high school is an important step toward success. Yet, many boys and young men of color face challenges, especially from harsh school discipline approaches, when it comes to staying in school. The foundation seeks to promote common-sense alternatives to these policies that promote accountability for disciplinary offenses without pushing students out of school. Solutions that focus on dropout prevention and increasing middle school retention and high school graduation rates: Evidence suggests that better education outcomes lead to better health outcomes. The ability to develop early indicators that identify when a student is likely to drop out can increase opportunities to retain students and keep them on track toward completing school. Mental health interventions that tailor approaches to boys and young men who have experienced and/or been exposed to violence and trauma: Specifically, The foundation seeks innovations that transform the philosophy and culture of how organizations provide services to youth by adopting the principles and practices of trauma-informed care. Career training programs that blend workforce and education emphases to ensure that students are college- and career-ready: We are especially interested in interventions designed for young men who are recent dropouts and/or have been involved with the criminal justice system.
Successful applicants will recognize that the domains of health, education, and employment do not exist in isolation and that proposed interventions will require partnerships and holistic approaches to have sustainable impact and improved outcomes for young men. RWJF will support promising, innovative approaches that are poised for growth and/or replication and demonstrate transformative potential.
Throughout this process, the foundation will not forget the valuable lessons we learned from the call for ideas. Those lessons included respecting a variety of collaborative approaches and the importance of reaching out to an ethnically and geographically diverse group of organizations, which we hope you will help us with by sharing this call for proposals with your own networks.
Further details on eligibility, RWJF’s areas of interest, and other aspects of this solicitation can be found in the full call for proposals. To stay up to date on details regarding the call for proposals, visit the Forward Promise forum or join us on Twitter using hashtag #ForwardPromise.
It is the Foundation’s belief that they are moving forward the promise that we have made to our young men, who represent the nation’s future. Help us ensure their success and, in turn, our country’s prosperity, by submitting a proposal or encouraging an innovative program you know of to apply today.
Looking forward to an inspiring and fruitful process, Maisha Simmons, program officer Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
