NYS Office of Children and Family Services (NYS OCFS) Grant Funding

County Seeks Applications for 2026-2027 Youth Program Funding 

Informational grant workshops are scheduled for March 10th, and 12th, at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center, 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie, NY; each workshop will take place from 9 a.m-1p.m., with a short break. 

Use this link to navigate to the Dutchess County Grant Portal where you can login to an existing account or create a new account: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=dc. Please only create one account per organization. You should consider using your organization’s general email and a shared password to be used by anyone within your organization who might work on an application within the grant portal, now or in the future.

The Dutchess County Division of Youth Services administers reimbursable grants for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (NYS OCFS). There is an annual request for applications for Youth Development Program (YDP) funding, Youth Sports and Education Opportunity funding (YSEF), and Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) program funding. The program year for this funding runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027 (2026-2027). Programs must be free to all youth.

Program funding will be awarded in the following three categories:

Youth Development Programs (YDP): Reimbursable grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to programs that provide free, direct services designed to improve youth and community outcomes, as outlined in the OCFS-5003 Program Components-Coding Document, Rev. 3/2018. Programs must address one of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ six life areas, which are: Economic Security, Physical and Emotional Health, Education, Citizenship/Civic Engagement, Family, and Community. 

Positive youth development programs strengthen young people’s sense of identity, belief in the future, self-regulation, and self-efficacy as well as their social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral competence. Youth Development Program (YDP) funding targets services that promote safety, supportive relationships, and other positive assets by engaging and empowering youth. 

Programs will be expected to:

• Serve Dutchess County youth under 21 years of age during the program year October 1—September 30
• Demonstrate knowledge of and have staff trained in Positive Youth Development
• Demonstrate basic competency in the areas of governance, monitoring and evaluation, partnership, and financial stewardship
• Collect registration data, including participant demographic information as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data

Youth Sports and Education Opportunity Funding (YSEF): Reimbursable grants in the amount of $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to programs that aim to foster educational connections and achievement; physical health and well-being; mental health and well-being; employment; and/or community cohesion. To be eligible for YSEF funding, programs must also meet the following criteria: 

• Provide free structured sports activities for Dutchess County youth ages 6-17 years old during the program year October 1—September 30 
• Demonstrate basic competency in the areas of governance, monitoring and evaluation, partnership, and financial stewardship
• Have a child protection policy in place that includes adherence to local city, agency, school district, and state child protections guidelines
• Collect registration data, including participant demographic information as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data.

Agencies must use the following required OCFS Life Area and Services, Opportunities, and Supports (SOS) elections: 

• Life area: 2PEH Physical and Emotional Health
• SOS: 0232 Year-round/seasonal activities
• Performance measures:
  • How much: 0232A.1—Number of youth participating (unduplicated)
  • How Well: 0232B.4—Percent of youth completing the program
  • Better Off: 0232C.2—Number and percent of youth who attain/or improve on a skill and/or report an increase in knowledge/awareness. 

Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) services: RHY services are grounded in the Positive Youth Development framework and focus on supporting and developing healthy relationships to enhance youths’ existing strengths and resiliency, while incorporating youth voice and leadership into programming. Residential RHY crisis services programs are certified by OCFS to provide temporary shelter to runaway and homeless youth under age 18. The goal of RHY crisis services programs is to support a safe reunification of youth with their guardians, where appropriate. 

Funded programs are selected through a competitive request for application process. The Dutchess County Youth Board and Coordinating Council is responsible for reviewing, scoring, and making allocation recommendations to the county executive for grant applications. 

  Applications will ONLY be accepted through the Dutchess County Grant Portal.

Grant Portal Instructions:

1. Use this link to navigate to the Dutchess County Grant Portal where you can login to an existing account or create a new account: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=dc
2. Please only create one account per organization. You should consider using your organization’s general email and a shared password to be used by anyone within your organization who might work on an application within the grant portal, now or in the future.
3. Once at the Logon Page, follow instructions to “logon” or “create new account.”
4. After successfully creating an account, you will be brought to the a “landing page” for your organization. Here you will find grants that are currently open to apply for. Click the “Apply” button for 2026-2027 NYS OCFS Youth Program Funding grants. 
5. Once you begin an application, it will be saved as a draft. You can re-enter the portal any time prior to the submission deadline to complete the application. Your work will be saved as you go.

Youth Program Funding Grant Application Process

Below is the list of documents needed for funding consideration:

• 2026-27 NYS OCFS Youth Program Grant Checklist for Youth Services (.pdf)
• NYS OCFS Grant FAQ's for Youth Services (.pdf)
• Path to Promise Framework (.pdf) (.doc) and Path to Promise website
• OCFS-5001 Individual Program Application-Program Information (.doc) 
• OCFS -5002 Agency Program Profile (.doc)
• Helpful Hints list to be used with OCFS-5002 (.pdf) (.doc)
• Coding Document for OCFS-5003 (.pdf)
• OCFS-5003 Program Components (.doc) 
• Division of Youth Services 2026-2027 Attachment I, II, III, Logic Model, Outcomes, Board List (.doc)
• Division of Youth Services 2026-2027 Attachment IV—Projected Budget (.xls)
• Division of Youth Services 2026 YTS Attachment IV-Projected Program Budget (.xls)
• Division of Youth Services Attachment V-Listed Additional Expenses (.xls) 
• Dutchess County Insurance Requirements Summary (.pdf)
• Positive Youth Development online resource 

For additional information about how to apply for 2026 YTS funding please contact: Doreen E. Clifford, Youth Programs Analyst at  doreen.clifford@dfa.state.ny.us.