BAM and WOW mentoring in chicago public schools

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded $500,000 to Youth Guidance on June 1, 2026, under the Innovative Approaches to Literacy; Promise Neighborhoods; Full-Service Community Schools; and Congressionally Directed Spending for Elementary and Secondary Education Community Projects program (CFDA 84.215) to deliver BAM AND WOW mentoring in Chicago Public Schools.

Youth Guidance will perform the work in Chicago, Illinois, through June 1, 2029. The award is a Project Grant, an assistance type supporting competitive grants for education-focused community initiatives. Youth Guidance, a Chicago-based non-profit, creates and implements school-based programs for at-risk children; the organization has received over 30 federal sub-awards funding instruction, intervention, mentoring, and professional development services to students and families. Prior recipients of Youth Guidance funding have included the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Human Services. The source does not identify sub-recipients under this award or describe the specific scope of BAM AND WOW mentoring activities beyond the program title.