Overview & FAQ
Who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Be an existing mentoring program based in Nebraska and serving Nebraska youth and young adults up to age 25.
- Be an eligible nonprofit, school district, university, or organization operating under an eligible fiscal sponsor.
- Conduct background checks for mentors.
- Provide training for mentors.
- Have a defined minimum length of commitment for mentoring relationships.
- Serve young people in at least one eligible county.
- Use grant funds to support volunteer mentor recruitment, management, and/or retention in Nebraska.
- Meet the required 20% match and all applicable grant requirements.
Organizations may submit one application. Statewide or national organizations may not submit separate applications for individual chapters or pass grant funding through to chapters.
What counties are eligible?
Applicants must serve young people in at least one of the following counties:
- Adams
- Blaine
- Buffalo
- Colfax
- Dakota
- Dawson
- Dodge
- Douglas
- Dundy
- Hall
- Kimball
- Lancaster
- Lincoln
- Loup
- Madison
- McPherson
- Platte
- Sarpy
- Scotts Bluff
- Thurston
How much funding can an organization request?
Organizations may request between $5,000 and $25,000.
MENTOR Nebraska may award the full amount requested or a reduced amount based on available funding, community need, proposed activities, financial need, program capacity, and other application criteria.
What can grant funds be used for?
Funding must support activities that strengthen an organization’s ability to recruit, engage, manage, and retain volunteer mentors.
Examples may include:
- Staff time dedicated to mentor recruitment and volunteer management
- Recruitment campaigns and advertising
- Community outreach and recruitment events
- Recruitment materials
- Mentor onboarding and training
- Volunteer management and tracking systems
- Strategies to strengthen mentor retention
- Other allowable expenses directly connected to volunteer recruitment and management
Applicants must clearly explain how each proposed expense supports mentor recruitment, management, or retention.
What can't grant funds be used for?
Grant funds may not be used for:
- Food
- Advocacy or lobbying
- Expenses unrelated to volunteer recruitment or management
- Costs prohibited under AmeriCorps, ServeNebraska, Volunteer Generation Fund, or other applicable federal requirements
Additional guidance on allowable and unallowable expenses will be provided to grant recipients.
Can grant funds pay for staff time?
Yes. Grant funds may support eligible staff expenses related to volunteer recruitment and management.
Programs using grant funds for personnel must maintain signed timesheets documenting the time spent on grant activities. Timesheets must be signed by the employee and supervisor and submitted with applicable reimbursement requests.
Any program using grant funds to support personnel positions, in whole or in part, must also complete required National Service Criminal History Checks before grant funds may be expended for those positions.
Can funds be used for indirect or administrative expenses?
Proposed costs must be reasonable, necessary, allowable, allocable, and aligned with the proposed grant activities.
Applicants should refer to the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR § 200) and budget guidance in the Notice of Funding and Application Instructions to determine specific allowable or unallowable program costs when developing their budgets.
Is a match required?
Yes. Grant recipients must provide a match equal to at least 20% of their grant award.
Additional guidance regarding allowable match sources and required documentation will be provided.
What types of projects will receive priority consideration?
Applications will be evaluated based on factors including community need, mentor recruitment needs, proposed activities, anticipated impact, organizational capacity, financial need, and the strength and feasibility of the proposed approach.
Priority consideration may also be given to projects addressing:
- Rural mentoring
- Recruitment of older adults/senior volunteers
- Youth experiencing chronic absenteeism
- Youth experiencing poverty
- Youth involved in foster care
- Youth involved in the juvenile justice system
- Other priorities identified through MENTOR Nebraska’s 2025 Mapping Report
Can an organization submit more than one application?
No. Each organization, affiliate, or chapter may submit only one application. Statewide or national organizations may not apply on behalf of multiple chapters or pass grant funds through to chapters. Individual chapters must apply directly for funding.
Can organizations apply collaboratively?
No. Each grant must be awarded to and managed by an individual eligible organization.
What happens if we receive less funding than requested?
Organizations offered less than their requested amount will be asked to submit an updated budget reflecting the final award.
Can our budget be changed after an award is made?
Budget changes may be permitted with prior approval from MENTOR Nebraska. Additional requirements and deadlines for budget amendments will be included in the grant agreement.
How will grant funds be paid?
This is a reimbursement-based grant. Grant recipients will submit monthly reimbursement requests and required financial documentation to MENTOR Nebraska by the 10th of each month.
Detailed documentation will be required to verify expenses and applicable match.
What happens to unspent funds?
All grant funds must be spent on approved expenses by September 30, 2027.
If a recipient is unable to spend its awarded funds during the grant period, MENTOR Nebraska reserves the right to reallocate unspent funding to other eligible programs.
What reporting will be required?
Grant recipients will submit quarterly program reports, monthly financial reports, and a final report.
Programs will be expected to track applicable measures such as:
- Volunteer mentors recruited and retained
- Mentoring matches
- Young people served
- Volunteer service hours
- Mentor demographic information, including age
- Program reach and capacity
- Successes, challenges, and lessons learned
Additional outcome measures and evaluation requirements will be provided to grant recipients.
When will applicants be notified?
Applicants can expect to be notified of funding decisions by mid-November 2026.
How will applications be evaluated?
Applications will first be screened for eligibility and completeness. Eligible applications will then be reviewed using a standardized scoring process.
Funding decisions will consider factors such as community need, mentor recruitment needs, proposed activities, anticipated impact, financial need, program capacity, budget reasonableness, and alignment with grant priorities.
