2027 RFP Opens October 8, 2026!

Who is the Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative?

The Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative (SFC) is a group of private and nonprofit partners that work in alignment with public systems to fund high-quality summer programs for Baltimore City youth. While each partner has unique priorities, they share a common goal: ​to fund diverse programs that keep youth engaged and help prevent summer learning loss so more youth can reach their full potential.

Why is Summer Programming Important?

  • On average, a student loses one month of academic progress during the summer—this is known as summer learning loss.

  • Students who rely on school lunches lose access to those meals during the summer.

  • Students who fall behind over the summer are less likely to graduate from high school or go on to college.

​High-quality summer programs help students connect to learning and recreational opportunities, job training, and resources such as healthy meals at no cost. Through high-quality summer programming, we can make sure that all Baltimore youth have what they need to succeed all year long. 

Sources: The Brookings Institution, Feeding America, and the National Summer Learning Association

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The SFC funds summer programs that:

    • Are operated by organizations with 501(c)(3) or 509(a) status, or have a fiscal sponsor.

    • Are in-person.

    • Serve children and youth (0-24) from families with low incomes living in Baltimore City. 

    • Programs may be located outside of Baltimore City as long as they only serve Baltimore City youth

    • Programs may enroll youth who do not come from low-income families, but SFC funds may only be used for Baltimore City residents from low-income families.

    • Do not charge a fee to participate OR offer fee waivers for families who cannot afford the fee.

    • Provide free food to participants:

      • Programs running 4+ hours per day must serve at least one meal each day

      • Programs running less than 4 hours per day must offer a snack each day

    • Are accessible and welcoming to students of all abilities. We expect program providers to be aware of and adequately accommodate participants’ needs.

    • Reflect the following qualities that youth and families say are essential for quality summer programs:

      • Encourage knowledge and skill-building

      • Are accessible

      • Youth-centered programming

      • Provide exposure and diverse experiences

      • Employ engaged and professional staff

      • Provide safe mental spaces

      • Offer safe physical spaces

  • No, you only need to submit one application. Please note that there are some optional documents, but if you do not include them, you may not be considered by all funders. See the RFP for more details.

  • No, the SFC does not accept applications via email or mail. All applications must be submitted through our online form.

  • We are continuing to use Formstack for 2027 RFP submissions. Information about how to use the platform will be shared during the application information session.

    Baltimore’s Promise, the SFC's administrative arm, will be available to assist with any questions related to using Formstack.

    Running into an error?

    • ​You may have missed a required question. All questions with an asterisk (*) must be answered to submit the form.

    • Your answer may be too long. Some questions have character or word limits. These limits should be noted in the question text. We encourage you to read through the application and draft your answers BEFORE you begin the online form to avoid headaches while filling out the application.

    • Your uploaded documents may be in the wrong format. All financial and legal documents must be in PDF format. The optional media upload does not need to be a PDF.

    • Technical error. We do our best to ensure that the application provides a smooth experience for applicants. However, if you notice an error, please let us know as soon as possible.

    If you have questions about completing the online application that are not covered on this website, please email summer@baltimorespromise.org.

  • We value the time and effort that goes into each grant application and strive to create a decision-making process that provides an equitable opportunity for funding regardless of a program’s size, budget, and focus area.

    Applications will be reviewed by our panel of funders. They will be looking for applications that align with the values of their respective organizations, as well as those centered by the SFC. If an applicant is a returning grantee, they may also look at past year data:

    • Program performance

    • Enrollment and attendance 

    •  Youth satisfaction

    • Budget

    • Other items

    Decision-making

    The SFC is an aligned fund. This means that, while the SFC decides the grantees together, grants will still be awarded by one or more individual funder(s).

    Before finalizing decisions, all SFC funders meet with the goal of fully funding as many high-quality summer programs as possible. SFC funders work to combine public and private funding so grantees have more flexibility in how they use their funds.

  • While we cannot guarantee full funding, we encourage all applicants to ask for the amount you truly need to run a high-quality summer program.

  • Each year, about 1/3rd of submitted proposals are selected for Summer Funding Collaborative funding based on available resources for investment.

    Grants are awarded for a single year, which means programs are more likely to be considered for funding each year. Grantees are typically a balance of new and returning programs. We encourage you to apply even if you have not received funding in the past.

    However, there are a few common reasons an organization may not have been selected:

    • In some cases, applications are not considered because they were submitted after the deadline or were missing required documentation. We encourage you to submit early so we can help ensure your application is complete.

    • Applicants do not meet our minimum requirements (see Who May Apply for the SFC, above).

    • Finally, we must make difficult decisions because we simply do not have enough funding to support every strong proposal we receive.

    If you still have questions about your application, please reach out to summer@baltimorespromise.org.