Gender-Specific Services Grant

The Gender-Specific Services Grant, offered by the New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety, aims to support programs that address the unique challenges faced by girls and gender-expansive youth. This initiative fosters safe, inclusive environments where participants can heal from trauma and build confidence. By promoting trust, creativity, and leadership, the grant seeks to empower young people to connect with role models, express their identities, and envision a brighter future.

Notice of Availability of Funding: 2026 Gender-Specific Services
Purpose
The New Jersey Youth Justice Commission and the Governor’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Committee recognize that girls, gender-expansive youth, and youth who have been or are at risk of being exploited often face challenges and have unique needs shaped by their life experiences. These experiences may include exposure to trauma, victimization, family instability, poverty, and community violence, factors that can affect a young person’s sense of safety, stability, and connection to others. These challenges often disproportionately affect youth of color, who may face additional barriers stemming from systemic inequalities and limited access to community resources and support.
This funding opportunity seeks to support programs that respond to these needs by creating safe, inclusive, and empowering spaces where young people can heal, build confidence, and strengthen their sense of belonging.
Gender-responsive programming creates environments where participants feel valued and seen, and where their identities and lived experiences are acknowledged and respected. Such programs foster trusting relationships, promote self-expression, encourage positive identity development while being culturally responsive, and trauma informed. Programs should promote belonging, creativity, and connection, while helping youth build skills to support their emotional, physical, and social well-being.
The Committee aims to fund initiatives that cultivate trust, healing, creativity and leadership, and that provide opportunities for young people to connect with positive role models, express themselves, and build a vision for their future.