Youth Sports and Education (YSEF) programs serve at-risk youth ages 6-17 with the principle that sports improve the lives of young people by promoting positive social, emotional, health and educational outcomes. YSEF funding is awarded through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process. To learn if there is a current RFP issued, visit the Erie County Purchasing website. The next RFP is schedule to be issued in early 2026.
YSEF awards are guided by the following principles:
● Sports are effective tools in positive youth development and family engagement.
● Sports improve the lives of young people by promoting positive social, emotional, health, and educational outcomes and have important life-long effects.
● Sports enable opportunities for young people to thrive through leadership roles.
● Coaching education greatly improves young people’s sports experience and development outcomes.
Funded programs must provide a variety of sports for a broad range of youth in under-resourced communities. OCFS encourages a wide and flexible definition of sports that encompasses any organized activities with movement, including physical fitness activities such as yoga, hiking, dance, and active outdoor pursuits.
All funded programs must aim to foster the following:
● Educational connection and achievement – More youth attending and completing school with increased attainment, including collegiate placement success
● Physical health and well-being – Increasing physical activity and positive relationships to one’s body and physical activity
● Mental health and well-being – Improving outcomes related to youth’s mental health and social and emotional skills development and connectedness
● Employment – Increasing qualifications and skills, such as collective problem-solving, teamwork, and dispute resolution, which help prepare youth for suitable employment
● Community cohesion – Breaking down barriers to reduce discrimination, crime, and violence in communities and help young leaders emerge Eligibility and Funding Municipal youth bureaus will contract with local organizations, municipalities, and/or local or municipal youth bureaus directly for up to $50,000 per program. Organizations that serve multiple areas through different programs may be funded above $50,000. Funding may provide general operating dollars to give programs flexibility to efficiently allocate resources for quality programming.
Line-item budgets should focus on programming costs, including, but not limited to, the following:
● Coaches/instructors/direct service staff/mentors (including training/professional development)
● Equipment
● Educational programming costs
● Facility/field space cost
● A maximum of 15% of program funds may be used to support administrative/overhead costs
Data sources to consult in assessing local need include, but are not limited to, the New York State Council on Children and Families Kids’ Well-being Indicators Clearinghouse, https://www.ccf.ny.gov/council-initiatives/kids-well-being-indicators-c…; public data from the New York State Education Department, https://data.nysed.gov/; and youth arrest data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/juvenilearrests/index.htm.
Programs eligible for funding must meet the criteria below:
● Provide structured sports activities for youth ages 6-17
● Serve youth in New York State
● 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 protection guidelines
● Collect registration data, including participant demographic information, as required by OCFS in a manner that allows for accurate reporting of anonymized aggregate data
Organizations and activities not eligible for funding are the following:
● For-profit organizations or businesses
● Private foundations, as defined in section 509(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code
● Organizations that discriminate based on age, ethnicity/race, political affiliation, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or other disability, national origin, or any protected characteristic under local, state, and/or federal law
● Research or project-planning activities
● Support for elite or private sports camps, programs, or teams
● Endowments, memorials, budget deficits, or fundraising activities
● Religious organizations whose sports programs do not have a secular and community focus
● Lobbying, political, or fraternal activities
● Capital projects
The Life Area and SOS selections that will be required in QYDS for YSEF are as follows:
● Life Area: 2PEH Physical and Emotional Health
● SOS: 0232 Year-Round/Seasonal Activities
● Performance measures:
o How Much: 0232A.1 – Number of youth participating (unduplicated)
o How Well: 0232B.4 – Percent of youth completing the program
o Better Off: 0232C.1 – Number and percent reporting they have improved their ability to socialize/interact with peers/family/other members of the community