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. Virtual and hybrid models are not being considered.

• 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.

Based on applicant feedback, we are using a simplified application platform, Formstack, for 2025 RFP submissions. An overview of Formstack will be provided 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 at summer@baltimorespromise.org.

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

Technical Review 
After you submit your application, SFC staff will first review all applications to ensure required documentation has been included. Incomplete applications may not be considered. Required documentation is outlined in the RFP.

Funder Review
SFC staff create a list of applications to be reviewed by funders. This selection is based on alignment with that summer's funder priorities. In the past, these priorities have included a 50-50 split between older youth programs and programs for younger youth, priorities for fully funding organizations with small operating budgets, and priorities for organizations led by Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian leaders.

SFC funders then evaluate applications based on a standardized rubric.

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.

You can apply for the full funding needed to run a high-quality summer program, however there is no guarantee that, if selected for a grant, you will receive that full funding.

The SFC prioritizes funding full program budgets for grantees with organizational budgets that are less than $300,000. For grantees with organizational budgets greater than $300,000, grant awards will be capped at $75,000 per program.

Unfortunately, not all applications are selected for funding. Every year is a clean slate for applications; previous funding does not guarantee you will receive funding the next year. The opposite is also true—even if you haven't received funding in the past, we encourage you to apply again.

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—our team is available to review early submissions with you.

• 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.