The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) may lose $1.8 million earmarked for this coming school year due to federal funding cuts, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has frozen more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and other initiatives as part of a review to ensure the funding aligns with the White House’s priorities. States and schools had expected the money to be released on July 1. Summer school and after-school providers are warning that the funding freeze could lead to entire programs shutting down, including summer day camps that are currently running. The freeze could have wide-ranging impacts on students and families, who rely on these programs for child care during the school year and over the summer break, and on staff who rely on these jobs for their incomes. Every state has programs that could be affected.
In Northeast Ohio, the BGCNEO is sounding the alarm. The money was due to be administered through the Ohio Department of Education and the 21st Century Community Learning Center funds. If the funding isn’t restored, BGCNEO may be forced to shutter clubs and reduce its programming.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) relayed the threat to these funds in an email obtained by The Land.
“Given the change in Administrations, the Department is reviewing the FY 2025 funding for the [Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B] grant program(s), and decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year. Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review. The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” the DEW email read.
BGCNEO CEO Allen Smith said he hopes federal officials will release the funds, which were meant to support 11 Clubs during the 2025-2026 school year. According to a BGCNEO spokesperson, two of the Clubs supported by the funds are in Cleveland: Franklin D. Roosevelt Club in Glenville and Joseph Gallagher on the near West Side. The rest are Lorain County (six) and one each in Summit, Erie and Huron counties.
However, Smith cautioned that the loss of these funds could impact all Clubs and could force the organization to evaluate all of their sites.
“While this summer’s programming is not affected, this sudden pause in funding has forced us to begin reevaluating how to most efficiently and effectively operate in the coming school year, including determining which Club locations we can sustain,” Smith said in a statement. “We are working closely with our team and partners to assess our options and make the most strategic use of available philanthropic and government resources.”
BGCNEO’s total operating budget for 2025 is $13.4 million, an organization spokesperson told The Land. The organization operates 34 Clubs throughout six Northeast Ohio counties. They offer out-of-school programming, learning activities, and meals for students between the ages of 6 and 18. The organization warns that these funding cuts could jeopardize services for more than 1,200 local children.
Smith urged concerned residents to contact their elected officials.
“We were counting on this approved funding to provide vital services to our kids and their families,” Smith said. “We hope the funds will be released and any contingency plans won’t be needed.”
Twenty states are suing the Trump administration for withholding these funds, however Ohio is not among those states. The states involved are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
National impact
The Trump administration said it hadn’t made any final decision on how much funding it would release for six programs appropriated by Congress. At risk are the following programs and funding amounts, nationally:
— $2.19 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, which work to reduce class sizes and pay for professional development for educators
— $1.33 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which are before- and after-school programs that provide academic enrichment for students and are an important source of subsidized child care for working parents
— $1.38 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a flexible funding stream that pays for services including mental health, accelerated learning and college counseling
— $890 million for English Language Acquisition, used for English proficiency and language instruction
— $376 million for Migrant Education, funding that supports the needs of migratory children like those whose parents are seasonal and migrant farmworkers
— $715 million for Adult Basic Literacy Education State Grants, programs that support adult education and literacy
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