Fall 2023 Grantees!
BCYF awarded $8.4 million in grant funding to 60 eligible youth programs!
We build partnerships that support the ecosystem focused on opportunities for Baltimore youth by providing support to leaders and organizations.
BCYF does more than grantmaking. We collaborate with Baltimore’s grassroots organizations and community leaders to empower youth and young adults.
Unlike traditional foundations, BCYF is committed to authentic community engagement and our strategy has been shaped by a range of Baltimoreans. BCYF partners with Baltimore residents themselves to direct our decision making and partners with other organizations that share our values.
There are dozens of programs that BCYF supports – which allows thousands of our young people to experience a range of programs, from academic support and science exploration to dance and photography. These are the kinds of experiences that all young people need to feed their curiosity, learn about their world, build confidence and stay on track in school.
2023
Fall Grantees
BCYF awarded $8.4 million in grant funding to 60 eligible youth programs. In addition to financial support, organizations awarded a grant will receive rigorous technical assistance and capacity-building support to help them sustain and grow.
Who We Are
Baltimore Children & Youth Fund (BCYF) is a nonprofit organization stewarding public funds to ensure our children and youth are healthy, ready to succeed in school and live in stable, safe and supportive families and communities.
Rooted in Baltimore's History
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.
Our Values
We honor and celebrate the cultural resources and assets within the Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in Baltimore City. We acknowledge their history and power. We work to address the role of philanthropy in dismantling structural racism by engaging in internal and external work to center Black and Brown wisdom in our approach.
We include youth along with adults in all aspects of our work. Having different generations work together reflects how our entire community must work together to improve the quality of life in our city.
The community has equal, authentic decision-making power in distributing BCYF’s resources. Embracing collective decision-making ensures that all voices are heard, promoting community accountability and equitable access to resources and opportunities. Additionally, the organization must include a variety of people who are highly committed and accountable to the communities they serve.
The Baltimore Children & Youth Fund will strive to have collective decision-making processes. “Gatekeeping,” when one person has too much power in a decision-making process, marginalizes the people and communities who are most hurt by structural racism. Gatekeepers can use their power to circumvent community accountability and limit access to power and resources.
