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Program Overview and History Overview The Tony Grampsas Youth Services (TGYS) Program is a program authorized by §25-20.5-201 through 205, C.R.S. and intended to provide funding to community-based organizations that serve children, youth and their families with services designed to reduce youth crime and violence and to prevent child abuse and neglect.  Eligible entities include non-profit organizations, local governments, schools, and faith-based organizations.  TGYS is housed in the Child, Adolescent and School Health Unit in the Center for Healthy Families and Communities in the Prevention Services Division at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.   Philosophy / Framework The TGYS program embraces a positive youth development approach in working with children, youth, and families.  TGYS values children, youth, and families and their experiences, backgrounds, talents, and contributions.  TGYS assumes that children and youth have the potential to become healthy, fulfilled, and productive citizens of Colorado given the proper support and guidance from caring adults, organizations, and communities. It is encouraged that local programs integrate an assets-based philosophy into their programs, services, and organizations where staff identify and foster the strengths in the individuals, families, and communities they serve.  In the TGYS application process, programs are asked to address the risk and protective factors that their programs and services target among their participants.  Programs that emphasize protective factors, while working to mitigate risk, are perceived as being aligned with the TGYS Program’s philosophy. TGYS Legislative History FY 1994-95 Legislation created “the Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention (YCPI) Program to provide state funding for community-based programs that target youth and their families for intervention services in an effort to reduce incidents of youth crime and violence.” – Administered through the Department of Local Affairs with creation of statutory Board (H.B. 94-1360)     FY 1996-97  H.B. 96-1349 amended the Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention Program to include “Each year no less than twenty percent of the appropriation shall be designated and used exclusively for programs designed for children less than nine years of age.”  Also added provisions that “the department of local affairs shall monitor the effectiveness of each program that receives funds through the youth crime prevention and intervention program” and that in appointing members of the Board, the appointing authorities “shall appoint one or more persons who possess knowledge and awareness of early childhood care and education.”     FY 1998-99 The “Colorado Mentoring Youth Services Act” (H.B.98-1321) was passed “for the purpose of providing state funding for the provision of community-based youth mentoring services that target at-risk youths in an effort to reduce substance abuse and to decrease the incidents of youth crime and violence.” Additional provisions:  Youth Mentoring Services Cash Fund created; requirements for youth mentoring defined; YCPI Board given authority to make funding decisions and to fund Youth Mentoring through either YCPI or Youth Mentoring Cash Fund, both administered by the Department of Local Affairs; required local agencies to provide 20% match.     FY 1999-00 S.B. 99-051 created the “Colorado student dropout prevention and intervention program in the youth crime prevention and intervention program for the purpose of providing services to at-risk students and their families in an effort to reduce the dropout rate in secondary schools through an appropriate combination of academic and extracurricular activities designed to enhance the overall education and edification of students in secondary schools.” – administered through Department of Local Affairs and by YCPI Board with a stipulation that each year no less than 10% of the total YCPI appropriation shall be used for these programs, increasing to no less than 20% in fiscal year 2004-2005 and each year thereafter.     FY 2000-01 The Prevention, Intervention and Treatment Services for Children and Youth Act (H.B. 00-1342) created “a single division in the Department of Public Health and Environment to operate prevention and intervention programs and to oversee the provision of prevention, intervention, and treatment services through federally and state-funded prevention, intervention and treatment programs to ensure collaboration among programs and the availability of a continuum of services for children and youth.  This statute transferred a number of programs from other state agencies, including YCPI – then renamed the Tony Grampsas Youth Services (TGYS) Program, to the Department of Public Health and Environment.      FY 2002-03 The anticipated $7.6 million for TGYS was vetoed and reverted to the state General Fund to help address the state budget shortfall.  The $1.2 million from the Youth Mentoring Cash Fund continued for six months into the fiscal year and then was reverted to the General Fund.     FY 2003-04 $4 million in one-time federal Job and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 funds were made available to support 105 of the programs that had previously applied for and were approved by the TGYS Board to receive funding in 2002-03.     FY 2004-05 Approximately $3.4 million in TGYS funding was reinstated, using Master Settlement Agreement Tobacco funds instead of state General Funds.  Programs that received one-time federal funding in 2003 were eligible to continue funding for an additional year (104 out of the 105 chose to reapply).       FY 2005-06 FY 2005-06:  $3,487,921 was appropriated to TGYS in Master Settlement Agreement Tobacco (MSA) funds.  An open, competitive Request for Applications process was held in Spring 2005.  Fifty-five grantees representing 115 agencies (multi-agency applicants) were awarded funds.  The Board agreed to fund these programs for three-years contingent upon the availability of funds and program’s performance.  Funds were also allocated to OMNI for evaluation, technical assistance and program monitoring services.       FY 2006-07 A total of $7.5 million was appropriated to the program. $3.5 million in MSA Tobacco funds and $4 million in one-time General Funds from FY 2005-06 with spending authority through June 2007.  104 grants representing 186 agencies were awarded funds.  Funds were also allocated to OMNI Institute for evaluation, program monitoring and training; to Assets for Colorado Youth for the Voices of Strength conference; to the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children to develop three on-line youth development courses; and to Conocer and OMNI for the development of an early childhood partner toolkit.  These projects all support and enhance local TGYS programs.       FY 2007-08 $3.5 million in MSA Tobacco funds was appropriated to the TGYS Program.  The Board voted to fund 52 grantees who reapplied to receive their third year of funds in a three-year funding cycle that began in FY 2005-06.  HB 07-1248 was passed which allocated an additional $300,000 in general funds to TGYS for the support of before and after school programs for 6th – 8th graders.  HB 07-1129 was also passed.  This bill requires the TGYS Board to consider restorative justice programs when making funding decisions.  The bill does not require the TGYS Board to fund restorative justice programs, although these programs have been receiving TGYS funds for many years.     FY 2008-09 Approximately $4,100,000 was appropriated to TGYS in Master Settlement Agreement Tobacco (MSA) funds. Additionally, $1,000,000 in General Fund from the Governor's Budget and $300,000 from the Before and After School Cash fund were appropriate to the TGYS Program. An open, competitive Request for Applications process was held in Spring 2008. Ninety-three grantees representing 154 agencies (multi-agency applicants) were awarded funds. The Board agreed to fund these programs for three-years contingent upon the availability of funds and program's performance. Funds were also allocated to OMNI for evaluation, technical assistance and program monitoring services.   FY 2009-10 For fiscal year 2009-10, the TGYS Program was initially appropriated $3,992,530 in Master Settlement Agreement Tobacco funds and $1,000,000 in General Funds. Due to 2009-10 General Fund reductions in the state budget, the TGYS Program’s General Fund allocation was eliminated, reducing TGYS funding from $4,992,530 to $3,992,530. Additionally in partnership with the Colorado Children’s Trust Fund and the Colorado Youth Development Team the TGYS Program submitted a collaborative application to the Department of Human Services Statewide Strategic Use Fund. The application was funded for $1,000,000, of which $477,602 was specifically for the TGYS Program. Ninety-four grantees representing 145 agencies were funding in this second year of a three year grant cycle. An RFP was also conducted for the evaluation of the TGYS Program and CSU was awarded the contract for evaluation and technical assistance.

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