Orange County seeks proposals for youth team sports grants

Calling all non-profit community sports organizations! Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus recently announced that the county’s Youth Bureau is seeking applications for a new grant program that will provide awards to support youth team sports programs for underserved youth under the age of 18.

Through New York State’s new Youth Team Sports (YTS) grant program, OCFS will fund awards of $251,966 to eligible local community-based organizations and nonprofits; funding is available in grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

“Youth sports have a positive impact on young people who participate in them and are part of the fabric of our communities,” Neuhaus said. “We are grateful for this funding, which will allow the Youth Bureau to identify agencies in Orange County seeking funding for new programs, while allowing those who have been running successful programs [to] continue to work with youth sports teams.”

In its announcement, the county said the funding is for non-profits, including, but not limited to, secular and faith-based organizations operating in Orange County, and partnerships or groups that comprise those organizations. Such eligible groups can apply by submitting an RFP. “Proposers that have never received funding through the Orange County Youth Bureau are encouraged to apply for funding in this RFP,” the county added.

Programming and/or services must be provided within Orange County, with the exception of very limited travel with prior approval by the Orange County Youth Bureau.

Proposals are now available by selecting the “Funding and Forms” tab on the Youth Bureau website at orangecountygov.com/youthbureau, as well as on the Empire State Bid System, aka “BidNet” at empirestatebidsystem.com.

The Orange County Department of General Services will be the only point of contact for proposers during the submission process until the start of the Proposal Review Process. Proposals submitted to the Youth Bureau will not be accepted, as they need to be sent directly to the Orange County Department of General Services.

All inquiries about the RFP must be directed to the Orange County Department of General Services, in writing, by either sending an email to generalservices@orangecountygov.com or via fax to the Department of General Services at 845-378-2365. Answers will be compiled and posted for all to access in one addendum. Anyone contacting the Youth Bureau directly will be redirected to the Orange County Department of General Services. (This is to comply with NYS Finance Law.)

After the Orange County Department of General Services audits proposals for all required attachments, they will be given to the Orange County Youth Bureau to go through the proposal review process.

Projected timetable of key events:

Proposals due: Dec. 21, 2023, at 4 p.m.

Competitive awards announced (tentative): Jan. 17, 2024

Anticipated contract start: Jan. 17, 2024

End date: Sept. 30, 2024