A nonprofit I’m passionate about, Aspire Afterschool Learning, has been impacted by the recent cuts to AmeriCorps. They were serving a record 150 students before these cuts, but these cuts leave them with a fundraising gap that will make it harder for them to provide students with no-cost, vital learning support. Aspire is the only daily academic afterschool program for 3rd-8th graders in Arlington that is offered at no cost to families – if they have to scale back their programming, there’s nowhere else for families to go.

What happened?

On April 28, DOGE unexpectedly terminated Aspire’s AmeriCorps grant - our largest source of funding. We received no prior notice.

What does this mean?

As a board member for the past four years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible impact Aspire has on historically underserved elementary students in Arlington. Aspire is strong and has weathered other challenges in our 30-year history. But this is our biggest one yet.

Aspire will keep operating, but we’re being forced to scale back. Without the AmeriCorps funding, 1 in 3 of our students won’t be able to return to Aspire next school year for the reading, math, and emotional support they count on.

What can you do?

Please consider making a donation. No amount is too small. My personal goal is to raise $1,000 by June 15. If we reach it together, I’ll match up to $1,000!

With your help, we can open more spaces and serve more students.