Albany County of New York Offers Grants to Prevent Youth Violence and Bullying

Strategic Insights -

Albany County is stepping up efforts to prevent youth violence and bullying by offering grants to school and community-based programs. The county has made available $100,000 in funding, with individual grants capped at $20,000, to support initiatives that address the long-term effects of bullying on young people's mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The application process involves a multi-step proposal submission, review, and scoring process, with funding recommendations and disbursement subject to the Albany County Legislature's approval.

Key Takeaways:

  • Albany County is offering grants to school and community-based programs to prevent youth violence and bullying.
  • The funding is aimed at supporting initiatives that address the long-term effects of bullying on young people's mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
  • The application process involves a multi-step proposal submission, review, and scoring process.
  • Individual grants are capped at $20,000, with a total of $100,000 available in funding.
  • The grants are intended to support programs that prevent and confront the long-term effects of bullying.
  • Programs may include mentorship, life skills building, and educational programming to break the cycle of violence in Albany County.
  • The initiative is based on statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, which indicate that about one-in-five students are bullied, with African American students experiencing bullying at a higher rate.

Statistics:

  • $100,000 total funding available
  • $20,000 individual grant cap
  • 1 in 5 students are bullied (National Center for Education Statistics)
  • 1 in 4 African American students are bullied (National Center for Education Statistics)
  • Less than half of students who are bullied tell anyone or get help (National Center for Education Statistics)

Sources:

  • Albany County news release
  • National Center for Education Statistics (source of statistics cited by Alberta County Legislature Deputy Chairwoman Wanda Willingham)