Increasing the intentional focus in policy-making on young males of color to ensure improved education and employment outcomes

The Foundation's Forward Promise initiative was designed to improve the health of young men and boys of color and enhance their opportunities for success in school, work, and life.This grant supports the Center for Law and Social Policy (Center) in providing technical assistance and training for its existing communications networks that will seek to improve overall health, education, and employment outcomes for young men and boys of color through dissemination of nonpartisan information that may be relevant to federal and local policymaking. The Center, a nonpartisan policy-advocacy organization that promotes policies at the federal, state, and local levels to improve the lives of low-income people, has a communications network of 3,500 individuals who are a part of its youth network and is a resource for approximately 2,000 advocates on issues affecting disconnected youths. This grant also supports coordination of organizations, advocates, and researchers in syntheses and activities that will increase understanding about the needs of young men of color among policymakers and other stakeholders and potentially lead to changes in legislation and regulations or in the development and implementation of recommendations aligned with the targeted policy goals. All activities funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that are directed to legislators, legislative staff, or government agencies that refer to specific legislation and reflect a view shall constitute an activity that is an exception to the definition of direct lobbying under Sections 4945 and 4911 of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations thereunder as either a response to a written request for technical assistance or nonpartisan research and analysis. Communications that are intended to qualify as nonpartisan research and analysis shall follow guidelines prepared by the Center's counsel prior to dissemination. The grantee has an attorney on staff who provides oversight with respect to compliance with the lobbying rules and provides regular training to employees. The grantee also has an existing relationship with the law firm of Trister, Ross, Schalder and Gold to advise on lobbying-compliance issues. The grantee has demonstrated that it has sufficient funds to engage in any lobbying related to this project, and counsel will review of all products that are intended as nonpartisan research and analysis.