MENTOR Opposes Cuts to Federal Funding that Supports Young People
July 21, 2023
MENTOR is deeply concerned by the cuts to federal youth-serving programs proposed by the House of Representatives in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education (L-HHS-Ed) appropriations bills. MENTOR is particularly concerned by the targeting of historically marginalized communities, including low-income students, LGBTQ+ youth, and English Language Learners through these proposals. At a time when young people face unprecedented challenges, defunding programs that support their life pursuits is nothing short of harmful. While the bill proposes the Youth Mentoring Grant to be flat-funded, the damage that could come from these drastic cuts leave young people facing a deficit that mentoring alone cannot fix. Some examples of these proposed cuts include:
- A nearly 80% cut to Title I funding, the largest source of federal funding for K-12 schools based on student need.
- A $2.4 billion cut to Title II-A funding, which supports educator training and improvement.
- A 50% cut to national service programs (AmeriCorps).
- Elimination of the Federal Work-Study program, which college students use to mentor in out-of-school time programs.
- Elimination of social-emotional learning (SEL) grants.
- Elimination of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title I (Youth Programs) funding, which supports young people exploring careers and preparing to enter the workforce.
Funding through these programs helps young people gain a quality education, prevent and intervene with mental health concerns, and prepare them for the workforce. MENTOR will continue to advocate for funding increases to effective programs that support the well-being and success of young people to ensure they have he supports they need to thrive.