Baltimore City Council President to Introduce Children & Youth Fund Legislation

Baltimore, MD - City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young will introduce legislation at tonight’s council meeting establishing the temporary administrative framework and allowing for the long-term governance of the historic Children and Youth Fund.

An effort that began in 2015 when Council President Young introduced legislation calling for a non-lapsing, dedicated fund to support programs and services geared toward young people, the Children and Youth Fund resulted in a a charter amendment passed overwhelmingly in 2016 by more than 80 percent of voters during the general election. The Fund dedicates $12.1 million each fiscal year to flow into the non-lapsing.

“This process is groundbreaking on so many levels,” Council President Young said. “But one thing that I’m most proud of is the fact that, rather than politicians having the final say, the actual citizens of Baltimore, through a grassroots community engagement process, will be the ones deciding how dollars are spent.”

Council President Young established a task force earlier this year to make recommendations on the fund’s governance. The Task Force was co-chaired by Adam Jackson, CEO of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a Baltimore-based Think Tank, and Dr. John Brothers, President of the Program for Charitable Giving at T. Rowe Price Foundation. The Task Force was made up of students, community leaders, program services providers, and representatives from government agencies. The meetings were well attended by members of the public, who worked alongside members of the task force on the Fund’s governance and administrative structure.

The Council’s Education and Youth Committee will hold a public hearing on Council President Young’s bill on November 21 at Frederick Douglass High School at 5:00 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and offer public testimony.

Prior to the public hearing, young people in Baltimore will convene for a grassroots, youth-led march in support of the Fund. The youth march will begin at the Kids Safe Zone at 1622 N. Carey Street, at 4 p.m. and end an hour later at Frederick Douglass High School for the public hearing

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