The role of relationships in supporting positive outcomes for youth is powerful and well-documented. Less understood is what it takes to help young people build their social capital and how the philanthropic community can support this aim.

To help answer this question, MENTOR looked directly to the leaders who work with young people every day. We wanted to understand the needs and barriers they face in their mission to connect young people with mentors and caring adults and help young people mobilize those relationships to support their well-being and help them meet their potential. We also wanted to understand how funders are prioritizing and investing in these efforts, and where there’s more work to be done.

This report is the result of an expansive Participatory Action Research (PAR) process that identified gaps and outlined recommendations for future investments to advance relationships and expand social capital for young people. It explores the questions:

• What are the most under-resourced and overlooked opportunities that show significant promise for increasing social capital for youth?
• What types of investments and additional resources would be needed to turn these opportunities into reality, and how should we measure success?