Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis faces $335K funding cut. Here's what is being affected.

Indianapolis Star

4 days ago

Federal funding cuts are impacting the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis (BGCI), costing the organization thousands of dollars to support proper staffing, but the organization says its summer camp is still on.
The Indianapolis branch of the national Boys & Girls Club of America told IndyStar that it has seen an approximate loss of $315,000 to $335,000 in funding due to cuts at the federal level to the AmeriCorps agency and 21st Century Community Learning Center grants.
Cuts to the AmeriCorps agency have already been impacting organizations across the country, but cuts to the 21st Century grants are still being considered under Trump's "skinny" budget. While the budget bill has not been finalized, some organizations are making preparations for the funding cuts anyway.
However, despite this significant reduction in the organization's funding, it plans to open its doors at its five club sites across the city for its five-week summer camp program this year.
Pam Lozano, director of resource development for the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis, told IndyStar that the cuts mean their five school-site programs will have to be closed. Those sites include Enlace Academy, Johnathan Jennings School 109, Raymond Park Middle School, Liberty Park Elementary School and Pleasant Run Elementary School.
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'We feel this impact because we are losing team members who support yearly in varying spaces, but we are also losing members who are in AmeriCorps as future educators, social workers, etc,' Lozano said. 'We know we are meeting a challenging time ahead, but our clubs will be open, we have worked hard to create a plan where we shift and focus on ways to be sure that any funding cuts aren't felt at the club level.'
The funding cuts mostly stem from the Trump administration's move to eliminate funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, which is the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting afterschool and summer programs for children, according to the After School Alliance.
Lozano said the club is losing around $315,000 with the grant gone.
The Indianapolis organization is also possibly losing $120,000 from AmeriCorps funding, which helped fund staff positions and mentors at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.
AmeriCorps announced in late April that they were suspending $400 million in grants, which has resulted in more than 1,000 programs shuttering and affecting 32,000 AmeriCorps members across the nation.
Lozano said the loss of the AmeriCorps funding has resulted in the most immediate impacts to their programming with the loss of mentors who provide one-on-one support for kids and scaling back specialized programs such as literacy tutoring, college prep and mental health services.
'This is more than a financial setback, it's a call to action,' Lozano said. 'Every young person deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in a safe, supportive community.'
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The Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis has served more than 7,300 youth annually, with the majority of them qualifying for free or reduced lunch, according to the organization's website.
The local club is asking the community to donate money or volunteer their time to ensure their programming can continue.