Baltimore Children & Youth Fund Champions Equity, Creativity, and Leadership with $3.5M Summer Investment for Community-Led Youth Programs

BALTIMORE, April 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is proud to announce the launch of its Summer Strategy for Grassroots Fund Organizations and Community Accountable Fund Organizations, a bold initiative designed to expand access to high-quality, community-rooted opportunities for Baltimore's children and youth during the summer months.

Rooted in a long-standing commitment to equity, creativity, and grassroots leadership, the Summer Strategy focuses on creating culturally relevant, safe, and enriching experiences that reflect the voices and needs of local communities.

As part of this citywide effort:

• BCYF is investing $2.9 million through the Summer Funding Collaborative (SFC) to support over 40 organizations that provide programs promoting learning, wellness, and enrichment for youth across the city.
  
  
• BCYF is also investing $500,000 into building partnerships with current BCYF grantees to support the Mayor's Summer Engagement Strategy.
  
  
• BCYF is investing $137,500 to support summer arts programming.

BCYF is known for putting resources directly into the hands of trusted community leaders. Since 2020, the organization has invested more than $31 million in youth-serving, community-based organizations across Baltimore—some of which had never received institutional funding before. From small nonprofits to emerging grassroots groups, BCYF prioritizes equity in access to funding, helping organizations not just survive—but thrive.

"Our investments aren't just about funding summer programs—they're about building ecosystems of care and empowerment," said Alysia Lee, President & CEO of BCYF. "We trust in community leadership and work year-round to ensure our partners have the resources, skills, and support to thrive. From grassroots capacity-building to transformative summer programs, BCYF continues to invest in a future where every child in Baltimore can grow, lead, and belong."

For more information on BCYF's Summer Strategy and a list of funded organizations, visit www.bcyfund.org. For media inquiries, please contact Simone Blackman at [email protected].

About the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund:

Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) builds partnerships that support the ecosystem focused on opportunities for Baltimore youth by providing support to leaders and organizations. The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore's young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard "Jack" C. Young — a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. Supported by Baltimore City residents' tax dollars, since 2020 BCYF has awarded over $31M to Baltimore programs serving children and youth.

SOURCE Baltimore Children & Youth Fund