The Oregon Department of Education, through the Youth Development Division (YDD), is offering the 2025–2027 Reengagement Opportunity Grant to support community-based programs that reconnect youth aged 14–24 to educational and career pathways. This initiative funds efforts aimed at youth who have left high school before earning a diploma or equivalent and offers services such as educational access, career coaching, mentoring, barrier removal, and supportive services to help them achieve academic and career success.
The grant period runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027, with options for renewal into the 2027–2029 biennium for regional awardees. Applicants can request funding ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 based on prior funding history, operational status, and project readiness. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as community colleges, school districts, public charter schools, county or municipal agencies, federally recognized Tribes, nonprofits, and community-based organizations operating in Oregon.
Key requirements include serving eligible youth who meet specific educational disconnection criteria, providing access to structured academic instruction leading to a diploma or GED, offering career and post-secondary education services, partnering with at least two community organizations, and collecting and reporting individual participant data. The deadline to apply is June 9, 2025, at 4:00 PM Pacific Time. A mandatory pre-application conference was scheduled for April 17, 2025, and new applicants must set up a GOapply portal account to submit applications.
Applicants must address a rigorous set of criteria through a detailed application process and are evaluated based on project implementation capacity, understanding of the youth population, delivery of services, commitment to equity and access, and strength of community partnerships. Selected applicants will become part of Oregon's Statewide Youth Reengagement System, helping build a unified approach to reconnect youth to education and career opportunities.
