Save Summer for Baltimore’s Youth
For every $1,000 raised, one young person can attend a quality summer program
In 2024, Baltimore had over 40,000 summer opportunities. But this year, we face a drastic decline. Our initial projections show that we will lose at least 12,000 opportunities this summer if we don’t act now.
Why Summer Matters
National research is clear: a thriving summer ecosystem reduces learning loss, lowers incidences of youth violence, improves physical and mental health outcomes, and strengthens long-term academic and career trajectories. In fact:
On average, students lose one month of academic progress over summer, and can lose up to two months of math skills over the summer without quality programs.
More than 387,000 children in Maryland relied on free school lunches in the 2022-2023 school year. Summer programs can help fill that gap during out-of-school time (Maryland Hunger Solutions).
High-quality summer programs have been linked to a 43% reduction in violent crime arrests among participating youth (Urban Institute).
Summer programming improves school attendance, readiness, and engagement during the year—and connects youth to caring adults, mental health supports, and career training opportunities.
But the impact goes beyond kids. A strong summer ecosystem supports working families, sustains the youth workforce, relieves pressure on public safety and health systems, and aligns with city-wide economic and community development goals. Everyone wins.
The Funding Landscape
For more than 10 years, a dedicated network of public and private groups has worked to ensure that all young people—regardless of zip code—have access to safe, enriching, and opportunity-filled summers.
Baltimore has been proof that public, private, and nonprofit partners can work together to create an equitable, citywide summer system. But we need permanent funding streams to meet the city’s full-scale needs.
Click to see a larger version of the funding stream graphic.
2025: facing a fiscal cliff
Across the country, communities are facing steep declines in summer learning investments due to the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funding and other compounding factors. Baltimore is no exception.
Baltimore City Public Schools has had to reduce investment equating to over 8,000 less summer program seats
The Summer Funding Collaborative, which typically serves about 10,000 young people, will likely only be able to serve around 3,000 youth, funding just 15% of the demand from community-based organizations and providers.
The city’s preliminary fiscal year 2026 budget reflects a shortfall, with no clear replacement for lost federal funds.
Simultaneously, freezes in and threats to federal programs like AmeriCorps, education stabilization funds, and nutrition assistance have removed many of the supports that once sustained youth, families, and the very organizations providing summer programming.
Here’s how YOU can help
8 weeks.
8 million dollars.
8,000 kids.
If we raise $8 million in public and private dollars in the 8 weeks to Memorial Day, we can cut our projected gap in half—putting 8,000 kids into quality summer programs with 96 community providers throughout Baltimore through the Summer Funding Collaborative.
We need everyone to step up. Baltimore’s young people are ready to learn, grow, and lead. Let’s give them the summer they deserve.
1. Show Up + Shout out
Attend a city taxpayer night.
Attend your local school budget meeting.
Share your summer stories on social media using the hashtags #SaveSummerBmore and #800VoicesForSummer.
Donate to the #SaveSummerBmore campaign.
2. Call on city leaders to put summer back into the budget in a big way.
Baltimore’s fiscal year 2026 budget is being shaped right now—we need to ensure it reflects the value of summer as a critical part of our education, public safety, and youth development strategy. Attend hearings, send letters, meet with your councilmembers—let them know that summer matters.
3. Call on the state to prioritize summer in the 2026 legislative session.
We need lawmakers in Annapolis to understand that this is a statewide issue—and a generational opportunity.
