July 30, 2025
In a letter to the department, 10 Republican senators expressed concern over how the lack of funding would impact communities that depend on the financial support, labeling the programs and services as critical.
The wait is over. The U.S. Department of Education announced that it will release billions of dollars in grants withheld by the Trump administration, providing educators across the country with the money they desperately need, according to The Chicago Tribune.
After President Donald Trump froze over $6 billion in funding starting July 1 to ensure spending aligned with White House priorities, the agency agreed to release $1.3 billion of the money, which was used for after-school and summer programming. The release comes after the administration was met with dozens of lawsuits from educators, congressional members, and more, hoping the challenges would result in the grants being released.
Without the grants, school districts and popular nonprofits, such as the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, risk having to scale back their educational offerings for the upcoming school year or, even worse, close for good.
In a letter to the department, 10 Republican senators expressed concern over how the lack of funding would impact communities that depend on the financial support, labeling the programs and services as critical. “The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support,” West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito wrote, highlighting that after-school and summer programs serve an additional purpose to allow parents to work while their children are in good, educational hands.
After the Office of Management and Budget, which reviews the programs, claimed some support for a “radical leftwing agenda,” the concerned lawmakers said. “Regardless, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”
Options like the YMCA are vital for underserved communities, primarily in the Black community. In its 180-year history, the nonprofit has made significant strides in empowering Black and brown youth, a trend that has continued into 2024. According to the DC Journal, the group announced a pledge to engage with close to 100,000 Black and Brown youth each year with four existing programs — Achievers, Youth and Government, Leaders Club and Boys and Young Men of Color (BYMOC) — helping youth build pathways to success in effort for those often overlooked to reach their full potential.
As data revealed the educational attainment for African Americans living in the U.S. has grown by 26% for Black adults, programs such as the ones the White House was attempting to eliminate have proven their value. Some of the programs deemed as aligning with a “radical agenda” included $2 billion for teachers’ professional development and efforts to reduce class sizes, as well as $1 billion for academic enrichment grants, which are used for science, math, and advanced learning.
Other funds included $890 million for students learning the English language, $376 million to educate the children of migrant workers, and $715 million to teach adults how to read.
With funds scheduled to be released Aug. 1, after-school advocacy groups are celebrating the administration waking up, but still criticize the delay, as Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, says it “caused massive chaos and harm,” with a number of after-school programs for the fall already being canceled.
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