Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Forward Promise – Partnering with Systems to Disrupt Dehumanization

Forward Promise aims to disrupt the cycle of dehumanization that is occurring in the lives of boys and young men of color (BYMOC) and threatens to derail their life success by creating pathways to healing, growing, and thriving. Through the Partnering with Systems to Disrupt Dehumanization program, Forward Promise aims to seed new approaches by youth-serving systems to address health and trauma that are grounded in the lived experiences and cultural values, norms, and traditions of BYMOC, and the knowledge of community organizations who work with BYMOC every day. Learnings grantees may be useful in advancing a greater understanding of what it means for BYMOC to heal, grow, and thrive, and provide concrete examples of the role that culturally responsive youth-serving systems play in the health of BYMOC.

The Partnering with Systems to Disrupt Dehumanization program will support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of partnership efforts between community-based organizations and youth-serving systems such as juvenile justice, child welfare, education, housing, and health provision within their communities. These partnerships are expected to increase the understanding of issues faced by BYMOC in these systems and the historical role of dehumanization by systems; uplift the current disparities that exist in the public system; deepen knowledge of culturally responsive approaches as effective strategies for addressing trauma and promoting healing; devise a plan for working together to test approaches; and identify sustainable opportunities to change the way these systems do business and approach their work with BYMOC.

Amount: Up to seven organizations will receive a grant of up to $150,000 in total over an 18-month period.

Eligibility: Organizations and/or institutions engaged in existing partnerships between community-based organizations and youth-serving systems that are actively trying to improve access to, and the quality of, services that support BYMOC to heal from trauma and attain overall health and well-being. Applicants should have evidence that their programs are improving outcomes for BYMOC. Additional eligibility is detailed below:

• Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
• Preference will be given to applicants that are either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations.
• While each collaborating organization must be described in detail in the proposal, only one organization may represent the collaboration and be the lead contact in the application process. This lead applicant may be either a community-based organization partner, or a systems partner, but preference will be given to applications from community-based organizations.
• Applicant organizations that serve both young men and women will be considered, but they must demonstrate an explicit emphasis on improving outcomes for BYMOC. Additionally, preference will be given to organizations whose programs are made up of at least 50 percent male participants.
• The applicant must have the administrative and financial capacity (i.e., proper governance, sufficient staffing and strong policies, procedures, and internal controls) to manage an award of the size being requested and may be asked to provide financial and other information to support this capability as part of the review and selection process.

Note: The Foundation will support existing partnerships at varying stages of their development, with younger partnerships primarily focusing their efforts on strengthening and formalizing the partnerships, while more mature ones may already be ready to pilot and evaluate new approaches to better serve BYMOC.

Link: https://www.rwjf.org//2019/forward-promise-partnering-with-systems-to-disrupt-dehumanization.html

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