Funding hold, potential complete cut jeopardize Boys & Girls Club programs, viability

Include more than 9,400 Arkansas teens among the more than 1.4 million nationwide who may lose access to after-school programs as a result of a surprise hold on federal funds approved by Congress for the programs.

The U.S. Department of Education recently notified states that it is not distributing $1.329 billion in 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) funding. The money, approved by Congress as part of the fiscal year 2025 budget, supports 10,000 after-school programs nationwide that are estimated to provide education, workforce training, and other services to 1.4 million students, according to the Afterschool Alliance.

“Congress appropriated and all 50 states and D.C. have already committed these funds to individual afterschool and summer learning programs, most of which are expecting their grants now,” the Alliance noted in a statement.

The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club (FSBGC) in Fort Smith is one of many programs in Arkansas now in a bind. The organization announced in May it received a $700,000 21st Century grant in a partnership with the Future School of Fort Smith to open a teen center designed to provide after-school and summer programs to up to 100 teens a day.

According to the FSBGC, the center programs will be focused on “academic support, college and career readiness, workforce development, leadership development, and social-emotional learning for teens in the Fort Smith community.” Teen center programs will include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workshops, arts programming, career exploration, and access to mental health resources. Those eligible for the program are Fort Smith Public School students, area private school students, and homeschooled students.

The center at the Future School is set to open in the fall of 2025. The grant was supposed to be paid out over four years, with $200,000 provided in the first year, according to FSBGC CEO Beth Presley.

But Presley is now unsure what will happen. The organization has already obligated money for which it was promised to be reimbursed.

“We’ve already hired three people. We’re planning to go live in less than six weeks,” she said.

According to information provided by Presley, Boys & Girls Clubs in Arkansas will lose $2 million in funding, up to 10 clubs could be forced to close, and more than 9,400 teens “will lose access to vital foundations such as nutritious meals, supportive mentors, and safe spaces during the most crucial hours of the day.”

“If this critical funding were to go away, the impact would be devastating,” Presley noted in a statement sent to Talk Business & Politics. “We would not be able to open or sustain the program, leaving over 100 teens without a safe and supportive space after school. We would face the loss of vital staff, academic services, and enrichment opportunities that directly affect the long-term success of our teens—and the families who rely on us for affordable, high-quality afterschool care. … We are focused today on creating awareness of this issue and bringing together all our supporters here in Arkansas to help advocate for these critical community supports.”

Groups like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Afterschool Alliance are lobbying members of Congress to restore the funding and to prevent a total loss of such funding in future fiscal year budgets.

“The (Trump) administration is also proposing $0 for 21st CCLC next year, instead collapsing it into a ‘K-12 Simplified Funding Plan’ with dramatically reduced support. That would be a grave, costly and wildly unpopular mistake,” noted a statement from Afterschool Alliance.

Jim Clark, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said the funding hold and potential complete cut could close 926 clubs nationwide that provide services for more than 220,000 youth and teens. The funding loss would also result in the loss of 5,900 jobs.

“This funding supports the families of hardworking Americans who count on these services,” Kirk noted in a statement. “With Independence Day days away, Club sites and camps could shutter mid-season — upending care for working parents and leaving kids without critical safety nets.”

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said the senator is aware of the issue.

“The senator recognizes the important role Boys and Girls Club programs play and encourages the administration to complete its review in a timely way,” noted a statement from Boozman’s office.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, declined to comment.