City of Boston Department of Youth Engagement & Employment

(important note: this application is for SuccessLink Grant Partnership only. All interested nonprofit organizations must apply through this Request for Applications (RFA) grant funding process. The SuccessLink Direct Partnership has been discontinued for nonprofit organizations. There will be a separate application released for SuccessLink City Agency Partnership.)

On behalf of Mayor Michelle Wu, the Worker Empowerment Cabinet and the City of Boston Department of Youth Engagement & Employment (YEE), we thank you for your interest in becoming a partner organization with the City of Boston Mayor’s Youth Jobs Program. We are pleased to release the partner application for the 2023 SuccessLink Summer Youth Employment Program. Local nonprofits, Community Based Organizations (CBO’s), and city agencies based in Boston are invited to apply.

SuccessLink Overview

The SuccessLink Youth Employment Program is funded by the City of Boston and is designed not only to recruit and hire youth, but also to ensure that their employment experience is engaging, meaningful, and a building block for their professional development and personal success. YEE partners with nearly 200 community-based organizations across the City of Boston to provide thousands of youth with employment and workforce readiness opportunities throughout the summer and school year seasons.

Every year the City of Boston invests nearly 10 million dollars into community-based organizations located in neighborhoods across the city to give youth early exposure to various career paths. Partnerships within the SuccessLink Program are comprised of two distinct components:

• Government/City of Boston Agencies: These are unique employment opportunities within the City government and other quasi-city municipalities. City agency jobs should provide youth with an inside perspective of what it is to be a public servant, as well as an in-depth outlook on the professional development, career pathways, and other necessary preparation for future careers in city government.
• Nonprofit Organization/Higher Education Institutions: These are mission-driven employment opportunities within organizations and entities rooted in positive social impact that benefits communities and neighborhoods. Nonprofit jobs should provide youth with an inside perspective of what it looks like to fuel purpose-driven work with passion and vocation to influence change.

*New* Beginning summer 2023, all Boston-based non-profit organizations that are interested in hosting youth employees as part of the City’s summer jobs program, must apply through this Request for Applications (RFA) grant funding process. Here are some essential components of the program that are detailed throughout the application.

• Fiscal Requirements: All applicants will be required to submit financial documents (e.g. Certificate of Exemption or Non-profit IRS Determination Letter, Form 990, and W-9) to qualify for grant funding.
• TA Support: YEE will look to connect smaller organizations to larger entities who can serve as a fiscal sponsor).
• Youth Application: All awardees will be required to develop their own application process for youth candidates to apply.
  • TA Support: YEE will work on a common application that can be used for organizations that do not have an application process for youth candidates).
• Funding Position Criteria: All interested applicants must have the capacity to apply for 25 or more positions (application requests for less than 25 youth positions will not be considered).
  • We welcome collaborative applications from organizations with a lead partner.
  • Youth (14-18 yrs old) and Young Adult (19-24 yrs old) positions can be combined to meet the minimum of 25 positions.
  • TA Support: YEE will look to connect organizations to larger entities who can serve as a lead partner for organizations who can only accommodate less than 25 youth position requests)
• Funding Cycle: The City of Boston will distribute funding to all awardees in two installments:
  • 60% of funding will be distributed early July 2023.
  • 40% of funding will be distributed in early August 2023 (pending audit/prorated).
  • All awardees will receive 11.5% in overhead cost to cover administrative expenses.
• Compliance: All awardees will be required to comply with grant requirements by providing youth data and payroll registers for each funded youth participant.

SuccessLink Grant Partnership:

SuccessLink employment opportunities are intended to provide youth with tangible work experience that should help inform future educational and career decisions. YEE's selection process aims to identify non-profit organizations that provide evidence-based professional skill development that equips youth to successfully engage in the workforce.

YEE provides awarded organizations with an allocated number of youth and young adult positions, where the wages for the youth employees will be funded through a grant. The awarded partner organization is responsible for managing and administering the hiring and payroll process for youth employees.

Operating Process

• Accepted Partner Organizations will identify and select youth participants through the organization's specific hiring process.
• Accepted Partner Organizations will process youth hiring paperwork and share roster reports (template provided by YEE) of youth who are eligible to work.
• Accepted Partner Organizations will be responsible for monitoring work hours and timesheets. (copies of timesheets will be due to YEE weekly or bi-weekly according to the organization's payroll schedule.)
• Accepted Partner Organizations will be responsible for processing timesheets/completed work hours and producing payments for youth employees (youth must be paid on a weekly or bi-weekly payment cycle - grantees are welcome to follow the City of Boston payroll timeline, which YEE can provide).
  
  SuccessLink Eligibility
• Applicants or designated fiscal agents must be a Boston-based non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, Higher education institute or a Boston-based public sector agency
• Must employ Boston youth between the ages of 14-18
• Can employ young adults between the ages of 19-24 (available allocations for this group is smaller)
• Must serve youth who are residents of the City of Boston and currently enrolled in high school, post-secondary education or a GED/HiSET/Alternative Education program.
• Youth hired through this funding must not be hired through any other funding source (i.e., organizational budget, City Department Youth Grants (HHS, BCYF, OPS, OWD), ABCD, MLK Scholars, Private Industry Council, Youth Options Unlimited)
• Applicants must have a demonstrated background in youth development and providing work-based learning and career development opportunities to Boston youth.
• Fiscal agents may serve as the lead applicant for a coalition of partner organizations.
• Applicants must be in good financial standing. Grant applicants will be required to submit a form 990 and their most recent financial audit report.
• Applicants must have a demonstrated financial infrastructure (capacity) to manage granted funds and administer youth payroll.
  
  SuccessLink Requirements
• The summer employment program can run between Monday, June 26, 2023 - Friday, August 25, 2023.
• Youth employees cannot work more than 175 hours for the duration of the program (any payments that exceed 175 hours per youth must be paid from non-SuccessLink funds).
• Youth employees are allowed to work a maximum of 25 hours per week.
• All partner funding recipients must attend SuccessLink Grant Partner Orientations and/or related Convenings.
• All partner funding recipients must designate a staff person to serve as the primary point of contact.
• All partner funding recipients must sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and comply with SuccessLink Policies and Procedures.
• The partnership application deadline is February 5, 2023, by 11:59pm.
• Please make sure to complete the partnership application with as much detail as possible and answer all questions provided.  Any applications received after that time will be placed on a waiting list.

SuccessLink Grant Partnership Funding and Auditing:

YEE will allocate up to $12.4 million to grant out to SuccessLink Partners who meet the eligibility criteria. SuccessLink Grant Partners will receive up to and not to exceed $2,625.00 per SuccessLink Youth and $4,080.00 per SuccessLink Leader. Organizations will also be eligible to receive 11.5% to cover administrative expenses.

Partner Organizations receiving a grant must comply with the SuccessLink funding audit and submit financial and programmatic reports. Awarded grant partners will be responsible for adhering to YEE/City of Boston and EDIC/OWD monitoring and auditing guidelines:

• Partners will be responsible for providing YEE with participant rosters that include: participant name, confirmation of age eligibility, confirmation of school enrollment & Boston residency, home address, age, gender, social security number, email, contact #, school name, grade, race/ethnicity, start date, and job title.
• Partners will be responsible for providing YEE with a payroll ledger/register that includes the number (#) of hours paid and the total amount of funds that is being paid out to each SuccessLink Youth participant.
• Partners will be responsible for collecting and submitting the following documents to YEE for data collection, media release, research and evaluation authorization: SuccessLink Participant contract.
• Partners will be required to provide a final financial report and return any unused funds by no later than October 6, 2023.

Please click here for the full request for partner applications: bit.ly/SuccessLinkPartnershipOverview