You asked for information regarding proposed cuts in federal funding for the Big Brothers Big Sisters charitable organization.

SUMMARY

The federal government's funding of Big Brothers Big Sisters (“BBBS”) will decrease by approximately $ 20 million in federal FY 07. This is the result of cuts of close to $ 10 million each in two federal grant programs that support mentoring programs aimed at at-risk youth. The Mentoring Children of Prisoners (“MCP”) program and the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (“OJJDP”) juvenile mentoring grant have been used by both local BBBS agencies and BBBS of America to obtain funding.

BACKGROUND

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a charitable organization dedicated to helping children reach their full potential through professionally supported mentoring relationships. BBBS matches at-risk children with volunteer adult mentors screened and trained by local BBBS staff.

Local BBBS agencies coordinate youth and volunteer enrollment in specific geographical regions. Both the national organization (Big Brothers Big Sisters of America) and local BBBS agencies receive funds from private contributions and grants from the federal and state government.

Three BBBS agencies are located in Connecticut. Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters home office is located in Hartford and serves all of Connecticut. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Connecticut serves the Bridgeport-New Haven area, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Connecticut serves New London and surrounding communities. All three organizations screen and train prospective volunteers and actively support the progress of mentoring relationships. Each organization receives the majority of its funding from private sources, but have sought money from the federal government through the MCP and OJJDP grant program.

MENTORING CHILDREN OF PRISONERS FEDERAL GRANT

BBBS agencies throughout the country use MCP grants. The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services distributes grants to mentoring programs for up to three years. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis by a panel of nonfederal experts who assign scores to applicant programs according to published criteria. In general, applicant programs are evaluated on the basis of their ability to strengthen and support children of incarcerated parents.

Specifically, grant recipients must perform the following: (1) recruit a diverse group of mentors committed to spend at least one hour per week with an assigned child for a period of at least a year; (2) screen volunteers extensively through reference, criminal background, and child and domestic abuse record checks to ensure the safety of mentored children; (3) train mentors before assignment to a child; and (4) monitor and evaluate the mentoring relationship to ensure that young people are receiving appropriate support and are benefiting from the mentor match. Grant recipient performance is evaluated by the performance of the children in the program.

Federal funding for the MCP grant program has decreased by $ 10 million in the last three years. In FYs 05 and 06 the program received $ 47,963,000 and $ 46,090,000 respectively, compared to FY 07 in which $ 37,150,000 has been appropriated. In FY 05 and 06, 218 grants were awarded each year. In FY 07, it is anticipated that 185 grants will be awarded.

Nutmeg was the only Connecticut BBBS organization to receive MCP money. According to president and CEO, Laura Green, Nutmeg BBBS received $ 270,000 a year from an MCP grant from October, 2003 until September, 2006 when the three-year grant expired. This figure

comprised roughly 18% of the organization's $ 2. 1 million dollar annual operating budget. Nutmeg has reapplied for a MCP grant, but has yet to receive an award.

JUVENILE MENTORING FEDERAL GRANT

In FYs 05 and 06, the OJJDP administered a juvenile mentoring grant program. OJJDP issued grants for developing and implementing pilot mentoring programs aimed at assisting children who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. Applications were subject to a competitive peer review process. OJJDP distributed $ 9,853,439 in grants in FY 05 and $ 9,697,044 for FY 06. No funding was appropriated for 2007. According to Jennifer Stern, a grant administer with OJJDP, funding was cut because of recent congressional policy to deny all earmark appropriation requests. In FYs 05 and 06, the grant was funded by virtue of an earmarked appropriation. The FY 07 rules prevented this funding approach.

In FY 05, a juvenile mentoring grant was appropriated to BBBS of America. It is unclear if any of this money ultimately found its way to a Connecticut BBBS agency.

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