A New Collaboration with the Annie E. Casey Foundation Enhances Focus on Older Youth

It can be challenging to find partners as seamlessly aligned with Baltimore’s Promise’s mission of supporting the trajectory of young people as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and we are proud to enter a new, multiyear partnership with the foundation.

In 2021, Casey announced an increased focus on older youth, ages 14 through 24. The Foundation’s Thrive by 25® vision is that all young people and their children have the family connections, relationships, communities and educational and employment opportunities necessary for their well-being and success – a focus that resonates clearly with the work of Baltimore’s Promise and our partners. 

As part of the Thrive by 25 commitment, the Foundation is supporting our efforts to promote youth skills, opportunities and decision-making. Through Casey’s multi-year investment in this work, we will advance demonstration projects, generate research, and support advocacy to improve outcomes for Baltimore City’s young people between 14 and 24, while continuing to work to advance equity and eliminate racial disparities.

Specifically, over the next few years, this partnership will focus on: 

• Initiatives designed to improve postsecondary outcomes for Baltimore’s young people, including Grads2Careers, a collaboration of Baltimore’s Promise, Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Mayor's Office of Employment Development that helps high school graduates connect with job training programs that lead to career paths in a variety of fields and access a range of supportive services. 

• Efforts to effectively develop and share lessons, stories and evidence in ways that build resources, support the reshaping of systems and increase opportunities. 

• Reimaging governance structures that allow young people to serve as decision makers within  supportive, intergenerational structures while advancing equity and increasing available opportunities. 

“Several of our efforts – including the Baltimore City Youth Opportunities Landscape and our work around older youth literacy – point to the pressing needs of young people ages 14 to 24,” said Baltimore’s Promise Chief Executive Officer Julia Baez. “We are grateful for Casey’s support, which will help enhance our communications as we strive to strengthen policies and systems, expand the role of youth in establishing programmatic priorities, and innovate resource allocation practices across public and private funding streams.”  

In addition to its collaboration with Baltimore’s Promise, the Foundation has also deepened partnerships with communities in New Mexico and Georgia as part of its Thrive by 25 commitment. As the work takes shape across the country, we are excited to learn from and share our findings with Future Focused Education, an internship and work-based learning organization in Albuquerque, and the United Way of Greater Atlanta.