Our Funders
Research and partnerships that strengthen mentoring programs.
Mentoring Central develops practical, research-informed resources that help mentoring programs prepare participants, support strong relationships, and improve outcomes for young people.
Our work is made possible through research grants, contracts, organizational partnerships, and revenue from our training, products, and services. This support allows us to translate research into accessible, engaging, and affordable tools that mentoring programs can put into practice.
Organizations That Have Supported Our Work
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
As a contract research organization, we also receive contracts from organizations to help them evaluate their programs, and to provide them with training and technical assistance services.
Mentoring USA Evaluation Project
The Mentoring USA Evaluation project is funded by Mentoring USA Inc. Through the project, iRT is working with Mentoring USA to develop a set of measures for their program to use to evaluate the effectiveness of Mentoring USA’s mentoring program on youth outcomes. In addition, iRT is assisting Mentoring USA in conducting the evaluation, analyzing the evaluation data, and writing a final report based upon the findings.
Funder: Mentoring USA Evaluation Project
Duration: October 2013 — September 2014
Mentoring for Achievement: Mentoring Program Quality Assessment
IRT, in collaboration with the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, is conducting the Mentoring for Achievement: Mentoring Program Quality Assessment project. This project includes a certification training process for program managers working in mentoring programs funded by the New York City Young Men’s Initiative (YMI). At the project’s completion, the YMI mentoring program managers will be trained and certified as EQUIP external reviewers with the skills to assess, monitor, and support the mentoring program quality improvement process with YMI programs. In addition, mentoring programs funded by the city of New York have engaged in a mentoring program quality assessment process to evaluate the alignment of their program practices with the Third Edition of the EEPM and develop quality improvement plans.
Developing Customized
Mentoring Training Project
IRT developed a customized version of its Mentoring Central web-based mentor training program for use by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS). The program will be launched in all BBBS agencies that have access to the AIM system. Up to 100,000 prematch mentors per year will be eligible to complete the web-based training course. As part of the project, iRT also developed an in-person instructor-led version of its Mentoring Central mentor training program.
Funder: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Duration: 2011 — 2013
National Urban League:
Project Ready: Mentor
The National Urban League (NUL) has successfully developed and deployed an innovative college access program, Project Ready, which provides support for middle and high school students. Specifically, the curriculum-based program focuses on life skills, leadership, and social, global, and cultural awareness. The NUL has expanded this program model to include a mentoring component, called Project Ready: Mentor. In support of the mentoring component, iRT will develop the Project Ready: Mentor Program Guide. The Program Guide for Project Ready: Mentor will focus on helping affiliates design and implement a mentoring program for urban children and adolescents (e.g., effective mentor and mentee recruitment strategies; monitoring mentoring relationships). In addition, iRT is making available three Mentoring Central mentor training courses to the thirteen National Urban League Project Ready: Mentor affiliates across the country.
