In 2011, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) created the Forward Promise initiative within its Vulnerable Populations Portfolio to place a strategic emphasis on the needs of middle school- and high school-aged young men of color. RWJF's goal is to strengthen educational opportunities, pathways to employment, and health outcomes for these young men. All young people require support on the road to becoming healthy and productive adults, and a young man's path to growing up is likely to involve experimentation and risk-taking as he shapes his masculinity and exerts independence. The data show that for young men of color, those actions--which for other young men might be treated as youthful mistakes--are apt to be judged far more severely and punished with lasting consequences. Helping young men navigate their teenage years successfully is key to helping them reach their full potential. RWJF worked with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) to conduct a scan of issues facing boys and young men of color in the areas of education, health, and pathways to employment. The authors sought to understand both the barriers and opportunities in this work in order to make an informed decision about where to place resources to best influence outcomes for boys and young men of color. This document is a synthesis of the findings from that scan, which RWJF used to refine its strategy for Forward Promise.