New Funding Offers Vital Opportunities to 1,500 More Young People in Baltimore City this Summer

Participants of Catherine Family Services’ summer 2024 program enjoy snowballs on a warm summer day.

Vital new funding has allowed the Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative (SFC) to provide an additional $2 million in grants to a range of exciting summer programs for young people in Baltimore, ensuring many more youth can participate in meaningful activities after school ends in June.

Made possible by the increased investment from the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office and Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF), the new grants bring total SFC funding to $4.5 million for high-quality programs in summer 2025, up from the $2.5 million announced last month. These grants are now projected to serve 4,580 youth across 75 programs.

The SFC is a partnership between public, private, and nonprofit organizations that supports accessible, high-quality opportunities to Baltimore City youth who may otherwise be unable to attend summer programming. While their individual funding priorities vary, members come together to make complementary funding decisions that support a robust summer ecosystem.

This partnership and the collaborative efforts of a range of local organizations has helped to close the gap in opportunities available to young people in Baltimore this summer. Initial projections showed Baltimore would have at least 12,000 fewer opportunities available in 2025, compared with the previous year. A remarkable 4,600 opportunities have been created since those projections, including the additional 1,538 youth projected to be served through the second round of SFC grants.

“We are excited the Summer Funding Collaborative was able to support these additional programs, giving 1,500 more of our kids and young adults access to free and engaging summer activities,” said Julia Baez, chief executive officer of Baltimore’s Promise, which serves as the administrative backbone for the SFC. “But we can do more. Young people want these opportunities, and I’m still hopeful that Baltimore will find a way to provide them this year.”

Expanded Summer Impact

In all, the SFC received 215 applications for summer 2025, its largest application pool to date. More than 150 community members—over half of whom were ages 14-24—graded applicants against priorities set by youth, including safe physical and mental spaces, accessibility, intergenerational mentorship, career and academic training, and more. 

Of the 75 total programs funded, 32 are receiving support through this second round of funding, including 28 newly selected programs and four receiving an increase in funding. Programs focus on music, dance, history, mentorship, civic engagement, and more. 

Among this second cohort is Black Girls Cook (BGC), which will use the grant to support its flagship Summer of Food program, connecting adolescent girls of the Black diaspora to culturally relevant culinary, gardening, and STEM-based activities. 

“Our summer programs provide critical opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and empowerment while offering employment to those dedicated to making a difference in our girls’ lives,” said Nichole Mooney, BGC’s founding executive director, who expects to serve at least 75 girls in Baltimore this summer. “Without securing SFC funding, Black Girls Cook could not host our summer programming.”

The SFC was not able to fund every program recommended through the review process. Forty-three percent of applicants were recommended but did not receive funding. Baltimore’s Promise and its partners will continue to focus attention on the summer funding shortfall, this year and beyond.

“We are encouraged that so many people from the public and private sectors have come together to help create more summer opportunities for our young people,” Baez said. “We will continue to work with our partners to build long-term support for great summer programming, which is essential to the long-term success of our youth.”

There is still time for supporters to come forward, either by contacting the SFC, which has 6,549 more recommended opportunities awaiting funding, or reaching out directly to a summer program of their choice. The SFC can be reached at summer@baltimorespromise.org.

Here are the new 2025 grantees!
 
¡Adelante Latina! | College Prep Camp
Active Achievers | Active Achievers Summer Camp
Beyond The Natural Foundation | Music and Nature Summer Camp
Black Girls Cook | Summer of Food
CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth | Summer Publishing Internship
Cody Young Empowerment Youth Charities | Safe Summer Haven
Crayons & Culture | The Culture & Creation Lab: Seeds of Sovereignty
Dance Happens Incorporated | Summer Dance
Dayspring, Inc. | S.M.A.R.T. Summer Academy Program
Greenmount East Leadership Project | GELP Summer Youth Academy
Heartsmiles | Success Sessions
JOY Baltimore | Summer Workforce Development & Empowerment Program
Leader Breeders | Leader In Training: Baltimore Teen Leadership & Enrichment
MENTOR Maryland DC | Baltimore Rites of Passage Initiative
Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood | Summer Enrichment Camp
MENTORING MENTORS | L.E.A.D.E.R.S Summer Program
Moving History, Inc. | Moving History Arts and Academics
Nuestras Raices | Nuestras Raices
Pennsylvania Ave Neighborhood Association | Pathways to Prosperity: Youth Workforce Empowerment Program
Phase 3 Training Corporation | Summer Boost
R.I.S.E Arts Center of Baltimore | R.I.S.E Performing Arts Camp
Restoring Inner City Hope | RICH Summer Program
Sankofa Children's Museum of African Cultures | African Adventures with Sankofa
Tendea Family | Cadet and Community Clean Up Program
The Arts Project, Inc. | TAP Inc. Summer Arts Enrichment Program
The Board Room Chess | Youthworks Workforce Readiness
The William J. Watkins Sr. Educational Institute | Histematics Summer Program
We Will All Rise | I Can Teach Summer Institute