Posted on August 21, 2012

Initiative Launched to Help Boys, Young Men of Color Succeed

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced the launch of a three-year, $9.5 million initiative to improve the health and success of boys of color.

Through the Forward Promise initiative, the foundation will support community-based projects and initiatives, policy analysis, and convenings that strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle school- and high school-age boys of color. Among other things, the effort will support alternative approaches to school discipline, solutions focused on dropout prevention and improved middle school retention and high school graduation rates, mental health interventions tailored to boys and young men who have experienced and/or been exposed to violence and trauma, and career training programs that blend workforce and education emphases to ensure that students are college- and career-ready.

The foundation will award as many as ten grants of up to $500,000 each to eligible organizations. Applications are being accepted online through October 10.

"While all young people need support on the road to becoming healthy, productive adults, it's especially true for teenage boys of color," said RWJF program officer Maisha Simmons. "We are looking to advance innovative policies and approaches that can dramatically change their prospects to succeed in school, in their communities, in the workplace, and in society."