Advocate

Budget Advocacy

Initially created in FY99, the Mentoring Matching Grant is the only mentoring-specific line item in the state budget. It is a critical support for young people. This money is awarded in collaboration with DESE through a competitive RFP process and community review administered by the Mass Mentoring Partnership.

So, why Mentoring?

• Almost 70% of today’s young people could remember a time when they wanted a mentor for support but didn’t have one. This is the mentoring gap in the United States. The mission of the mentoring movement is to expand investment in programs to ensure every young person has at least one trusting relationship with an adult in their life.
• Mentoring is one of the few prevention and intervention strategies that can effectively address multiple risk and protective factors simultaneously. The average American gives the mentors they had growing up more than 50% of the credit for their success in life. That goes up considerably for those who grew up in poverty or faced serious trauma.
• There is strong public support for government investment in youth mentoring. A public survey in 2019 found that 83% of all Americans expressed some agreement that government funds should be used for youth mentoring.

In FY25, the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634) was decreased by the Governor and State Legislature to $1,500,000, a reduction of $300,000. The need for support continues to grow. We respectfully request that the House and the Senate reinstate the line item to $1,800,000 in the FY26 budget!

Learn More:

• • FY26 Budget Request Fact Sheet

Legislative Advocacy

MMP works not only to advance legislation that directly impacts mentoring programs, but we also actively advocate for bills that promote positive youth outcomes. MMP drafts testimony and marshals support in our network for legislation that advances developmental relationships to support youth, including legislation to expand mentoring programs to increase a sense of belonging and connection to school while supporting healthy identity development, expand access to After and Out of School (ASOST) Programs, promote juvenile justice reform efforts that focus on positive youth development, and offer community on-the-job training for young people.

The primary goal of the MMP Advocacy Advisory Committee is supporting the mission, vision, and strategic planning goals of MMP as it relates to government relations and embedding mentoring relationships in public policy in Massachusetts.  

As we fill positions for the committee, we are beginning with a core group of leaders from youth serving organizations and formal structured mentoring programs from different parts of the state and who serve different populations of youth. If you are interested in joining this group, please email Cynthia Orellana at corellana@massmentors.org.

General Resources

• Advocacy Overview
• Government Overview
• Advocating for the Mentoring Field 

Advocacy Resources

• Nonprofits and Lobbying-Alliance for Justice- https://www.afj.org/
• Massachusetts General Court-http://www.malegislature.gov/ (Legislator Profiles, Contact Info, Leadership, Educational Resources for Teachers and Youth)
• Who are My Elected Officials (Individuals)-http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

Get Involved

As MMP thinks about policy solutions to address these issues for the new legislative session, I hope you will continue to engage with us and share your own stories and findings. Here are a few ways to get involved:​

1. Advocate: Advocate for MMG in One Click!
2. Find your Legislators