Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025: New Grant Program Aims to Boost Youth Success Through Mentorship

The "Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025" greenlights a competitive grant program designed to set up, expand, or enhance youth mentoring programs across the country. This isn't just about feel-good initiatives; it's targeted at helping eligible youth – specifically those in-school or out-of-school kids facing hurdles like academic struggles, tough environments, or disabilities – gain a real leg up in school, higher education, and the workforce.

Leveling the Playing Field

The core of the bill is about providing structured, long-term (at least one year) mentoring relationships. It authorizes the Secretary to award these grants, good for up to three years, to eligible entities. These are the folks on the ground: community-based organizations, non-profits, and partnerships that already have some experience in workforce development, education, and handling the data that comes with it. We are talking about organizations equipped to help young people develop those crucial cognitive and social-emotional skills, reduce the chances of getting involved in the juvenile justice system, and foster positive relationships. (SEC. 2)

The bill allows grant funds to cover things like professional development for educators involved, creating resources for employers who work with these youth, building partnerships, and, importantly, evaluating how well the programs are actually working. Think of it as seed money to get effective mentoring programs off the ground or to help existing ones do even better. (SEC. 2)

Real-World Check

Imagine a high school student in a low-income neighborhood who's struggling with math and starting to lose interest in school. This bill could fund a program that pairs that student with a mentor, maybe an engineer or accountant, who not only helps with the math but also shows them how those skills translate into real careers. Or picture a young adult who's dropped out of school and is having trouble finding work. A program funded by this bill could connect them with a mentor in a trade, like construction or electrical work, providing guidance, support, and maybe even a pathway to an apprenticeship. The bill explicitly encourages coordination with employers and local educational agencies, which means these aren't just isolated programs – they're meant to be woven into the fabric of the community. (SEC. 2)

Show Me the Data

This bill isn't just throwing money at the problem and hoping for the best. It requires detailed plans from applicants, including needs assessments, program designs, and how they'll track data on participating youth and screen mentors. It also prioritizes organizations that serve high-need youth in high-poverty or high-risk communities and those that provide clear pathways to postsecondary education and career development. Annual reports are mandatory, and they need to include hard data on demographics, academic achievement, employment, postsecondary enrollment, and social-emotional development. Plus, the Secretary of Labor is tasked with conducting a study within three years to identify truly successful mentoring programs and figure out what makes them tick. (SEC. 2 & 3). The bill prioritizes programs that work, and it's set up to track what 'working' actually looks like.

Funding the Future

To make all of this happen, the bill authorizes the appropriation of funds for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. (SEC. 2). It allows eligible entities to award subgrants to other organizations, with the Secretary's approval, to create a larger network of support. The bill also requires the protection of student privacy when reporting data. (SEC. 2)