Request for Proposal
Management Support Contractor — Businesses and Corporations are eligible to apply (do not need to be local)
STEM Mentoring Program, Sea Research Foundation, Inc.
Sea Research Foundation, Inc. (SRF) is seeking a Management Support Contractor (MSC) to assist with financial and programmatic management for its STEM Mentoring program (see Background below). This MSC will demonstrate extensive experience in performance measures data collection and reporting as well as the development and administration of youth mentoring programs, with a minimum of five years of experience managing large federal grants. Experience with tribal and military programs will be preferred. The MSC will help communicate grant requirements to affiliate sites; support the development of resources for affiliate sites, including print materials, surveys, and online resources; collect and review site-level data needed for programmatic and financial reports; participate in weekly calls with SRF; and provide management and administrative support to SRF and affiliate sites.
Interested entities should supply a proposal and budget for the project, which will run from July 2026–May 2029.
Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Background
Sea Research Foundation, Inc. (SRF) — a leader in providing mentoring and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs as part of delinquency-prevention initiatives — has received funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s FY 2025 Multistate Mentoring Programs initiative to expand and enhance its innovative group mentoring program, STEM Mentoring.
The purpose of the project is to 1) improve social and academic outcomes, and reduce risk behaviors, of youth ages 6–10; 2) strengthen the quality of mentoring relationships; and 3) enhance program design and family engagement.
STEM Mentoring will achieve these goals by connecting youth with mentors (4:1 mentee-to-mentor ratio) to engage in weekly STEM activities. SRF will make subawards to approximately 85* affiliate sites in at least 25* states will engage at least 2,040* youth and 510* mentors, including at least 125* peer mentors. Youth will: a) live in communities with risk factors such as parental incarceration, community violence, drug markets, and gang concentration; b) attend schools with high rates of absenteeism; c) live in rural communities; d) be involved with reentry from the juvenile justice system; e) have one or more parents in the military; and/or f) be American Indian or Alaska Native.
Project activities will include offering guidance in core mentoring practice areas; providing the STEM Mentoring curriculum; delivering enrichment experiences, including some focused on bullying prevention and law enforcement engagement; supplying family resources; and hosting a Peer Mentor Leadership Academy. Expected outcomes include increased social competencies, reduced risk indicators, stronger academic interest, and strengthened mentoring relationships. Data will be collected through surveys and quarterly reports to meet OJJDP performance measures requirements and inform continuous program improvements.
* The final numbers of affiliate sites, locations, mentees, and mentors will be determined based on the approved budget.