Join us for the release of brand new national and state data on summer program participation, unmet demand, and parent perspectives. This data is drawn from our hallmark America After 3PM nationwide household survey, conducted roughly every 5 years.

You’ll learn what the latest figures reveal, what this means for families and communities today, and our policy recommendations moving forward. Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant will share top takeaways and engage in a conversation with special guests on the importance of the data from their unique perspectives.

Speakers:

• Jodi Grant, Executive Director, Afterschool Alliance
• Gigi Antoni, Vice President of Youth Development, The Wallace Foundation
• Lindsey R. Blevins, Extended Learning Coach/21st CCLC Programs Tuscaloosa City Schools Federal Programs Department, Alabama
• Carlos M. Gonzalez Jr., Superintendent, Roma Independent School District
• Travis Patten, Sheriff, Adams County Sheriff’s Office

The America After 3PM summer findings are based on research funded by The Wallace Foundation.

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 19, 1:00 PM

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We went looking for research that could answer those questions, and recently published our findings in a background paper, Examining the Research Landscape: What Existing Studies Reveal—and Omit—About Youth-Driven Afterschool STEM and Communities, that tells this story.

Read more.

Access the report.

Date and Time: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 12:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Join the Afterschool Alliance for a dynamic conversation with researchers and on-the-ground practitioners who are building pathways for youth to shape their communities. We’ll explore what’s working, where gaps remain, and how programs can do more to center youth voice in real-world change efforts. This webinar will also feature the debut of the Afterschool Alliance’s latest report on youth civic engagement and unveil a brand-new practitioner toolkit filled with resources to help programs take the next step in empowering youth-led action.

Date and Time: Wednesday, August 27, 2:00 PM

Learn more and register.

At this special event, youth leaders from afterschool programs nationwide will take center stage to share their afterschool experiences and passions. Panelists representing the Afterschool Alliance, Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society, and the Million Girls Moonshot will delve into some of the topics that matter most to them, including ensuring access to afterschool programs for all students, mentoring younger youth and being positive role models, and building connections and making friends in a safe space.

All across the country, afterschool programs are beginning in your local community right now, inspiring the next generation of leaders. Help us celebrate Youth Voice Week by marking your calendars and tuning in to our YouTube livestream. Together, we can amplify young voices by turning the microphone over to them today!

New York Life Foundation and Afterschool Alliance have requested the Aim High grant program proposals.

According to the foundation, the middle school years are critical in determining a young person’s long-term academic trajectory. Enriching OST programs—such as afterschool and summer learning programs—is an effective means of helping middle school students successfully transition from eighth to ninth grade. In addition, these programs provide students benefits that extend beyond academics, helping develop the whole young person cognitively, socially, and emotionally. The New York Life Foundation’s educational enhancement grantmaking strategy aims to provide opportunities that help students in middle school thrive and become better prepared to complete high school and go on to college, providing them with a brighter future.

Grants will be awarded in the following categories:

One-Year Grants: Twenty grants of $15,000 will be awarded; 10 will focus on supporting programs’ efforts around racial equity and social justice, and 10 will focus on supporting programs’ efforts around youth entrepreneurship. Organizations must have annual budgets of at least $150,000.

Two-Year Grants: Grants will be awarded in support of programs that enhance direct service activities, technical assistance, capacity building, and serving youth while facing the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. Ten grants of $50,000 per year for two years will be awarded in support of afterschool and summer programs with annual program budgets of at least $250,000 and annual organizational budgets of $500,000 or more, and 10 grants of $25,000 per year for two years will be awarded to organizations with annual organizational budgets of at least $250,000.

Applicants must be tax-exempt as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, serve middle school youth (sixth, seventh, and eighth graders), and serve at least 75 percent of low-income youth. For this grant program, “low-income” is defined as students who qualify for the Federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program (FRPL).

Additional information, including the application form, eligibility requirements, and a list of previous winners, is available on the Afterschool Alliance website.

Deadline: February 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET

Date and Time: Thursday, November 16, 2023, 3:00 PM

Register.

The Aim High program is part of the New York Life Foundation’s ongoing investment in middle school OST programs to help eighth-graders reach ninth grade on track and on time. The grant program will fund a total of 40 afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs nationwide, based on a competitive application process.

Applications are due February 1, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET. To learn more about this grant opportunity, view the full RFP and submit your application here.

Speakers:

• Marlyn Torres, Senior Program Officer, New York Life Foundation
• Tiyana Glenn, Project Manager, Afterschool Alliance
• Dan Gilbert, Director of Whole Child Initiatives, Afterschool Alliance

• Aim High Grant Program – Homepage
• Aim High Grant Program – Application Portal
• Aim High Grant Program – Frequently Asked Questions
• Aim High Grant Program – Full Request for Proposals (PDF)

Join the Afterschool Alliance, Out of School Time Coalition partners, the Coalition on Human Needs and the Partnership for America’s Children for a training on what the expanded CTC is, who is eligible, and how you can help families you work with claim this critical benefit. You do NOT have to be a tax expert. We’ll share ready-to-use resources to help you provide info to families and connect them to tax preparation assistance. The webinar and resources are designed to help you easily integrate CTC outreach to families in your existing programs and communications. Please join us to learn more!

Date and Time: Wednesday, February 2, 4:00 PM

Resource: Child Tax Credit Outreach Resource Toolkit

Register.

In partnership with the D.C.-based Afterschool Alliance, the New York Life Foundation has issued a request for proposals for the Aim High grant program.

According to the foundation, the middle school years are critical in determining a young person’s long-term academic trajectory. Enriching OST programs — such as afterschool and summer learning programs — are an effective means of helping middle school students successfully transition from eighth to ninth grade. In addition, these programs provide students benefits that extend beyond academics, helping develop the whole young person — cognitively, socially, and emotionally. The New York Life Foundation’s educational enhancement grantmaking strategy aims to provide opportunities that help students in middle school thrive and become better prepared to complete high school and go on to college, providing them with a more solid financial future.

In 2022, grants will be awarded in the following categories:

One-Year Grants: Twenty grants of $15,000 each will be awarded in support of racial equity and social justice efforts. Organizations must have annual budgets of at least $150,000.

Two-Year Grants: Grants will be awarded in support of programs that enhance direct service activities, technical assistance, capacity building, and serving youth while facing the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. Ten grants of $50,000 per year for two years will be awarded in support of afterschool and summer programs with annual program budgets of at least $250,000 and annual organizational budgets of $500,000 or more. Ten grants of $25,000 per year for two years will be awarded to organizations with annual organizational budgets of at least $250,000.

Applicants must be tax-exempt as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; serve middle school youth (sixth, seventh, and eighth graders); and serve at least seventy-five percent of low-income youth. For the purposes of this grant program, “low-income” is defined as students who qualify for the Federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program (FRPL).

Additional information, including the application form, eligibility requirements, and a list of previous winners, is available on the Afterschool Alliance website.

Deadline: February 1, 2022

C&S is eager to both share findings and seek input as we develop a case study and work to elevate the role of youth engagement in driving civic learning.

That is why C&S is partnering with Afterschool Alliance for an interactive webinar on “Youth-Centered Civics Initiatives to Strengthen Communities.” The event will feature CSP grantee the Kentucky Student Voice Team. In this panel event, we’ll further explore the variety of contexts in which civic learning can occur and—through the lens of CIRCLE’s evaluators and CSP grantees—dig deeper on what it means to become a youth-led organization. Discussions will feature the unique experiences of:

• The KYStuVoice team
• CIRCLE’s evaluation team
• CSP facilitators

After the panel, we’ll open the floor to hear from the audience how this field can create and sustain equitable spaces that fortify youth power to achieve lasting reach, depth and sustainability in communities across the country.

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 22, 2:00 PM

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Across the country, schools have been teaming up with community-based afterschool and summer program providers to support students during the pandemic, from providing remote learning help and enrichment to meals and well-being check-ins. These partnerships draw on decades of research that show afterschool and summer programs boost academic, social, and emotional learning.

With new support from the American Rescue Plan, schools have an opportunity to leverage support from afterschool and summer programs to help students re-engage, re-connect, and recover. Join us to explore what’s possible, how to quickly form effective partnerships, and how to maximize an investment in community-based partners for student recovery.

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 2:00 PM

Learn more and register.

• 80% of parents reported that their middle schooler is building confidence in their afterschool program.
• 73% of parents reported their middle schooler is learning responsible decision making skills from their afterschool program.
• Parents overwhelmingly report that their middle school students in afterschool programs are engaging in academically enriching activities, such as STEM learning opportunities (74%) and reading and writing (69%).
• More than 9 in 10 parents (93%) report being satisfied with their middle schoolers’ program.
• An overwhelming 5 in 6 parents of middle school students agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs.

The Afterschool Alliance is excited to host this webinar in partnership with Every Hour Counts, a national coalition of expanded-learning intermediary organizations that increases access to quality learning opportunities. Every Hour Counts has developed a Measurement Framework to help intermediary organizations use data at the youth, program, and system level to guide continuous improvement. In this session, we’ll share the essentials of the framework and hear how two out-of-school time intermediaries, Boston After School & Beyond and the Providence After School Alliance, put the framework into practice. Presenters will share useful tips for intermediaries and out-of-school time networks on how to apply the measurement framework to their own continuous improvement process.

This presentation is part of a two-part series featuring contributors to Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time, from Information Age Publishing.

Date and Time: Thursday, January 21, 2021, 2 PM

Register.

• $100,000 Level
  • Eight (8) grants of $50,000 per year over the span of two years (for a total award of $100,000) will go to OST programs with annual program budgets of $250,000 or more and annual organizational budgets of $500,000 or more.
• $50,000 Level
  • Eight (8) grants of $25,000 per year over the span of two years (for a total award of $50,000) will go to OST programs with annual organizational budgets of $250,000 or more.
• $10,000 Level
  • Ten (10) awards of $15,000 over one year will go to OST programs with annual organizational budgets of $150,000 or more with a focus on supporting programs in their efforts around advancing racial equity and social justice.

Read the full application and eligibility requirements, and join our webinar on January 14 at 2 PM ET to learn more about this opportunity. Applications are due February 1, 2021 at 5pm E.T.

• Two-year grant applicants will need to demonstrate results around indicators of success such as on-time promotion; school attendance rates; improved behavior, grades and test scores; and/or the development of social and emotional skills.
• One-year grant applicants will need to describe how they intend to improve the supports they provide to youth related to social justice and racial equity efforts.

We look forward to receiving your application, and good luck! Please feel free to reach out to the Afterschool Alliance at aimhigh@afterschoolalliance.org.

The word “crisis” comes from the Latinized form of the Greek word krisis, meaning “decisive point in the progress of a disease.” It denotes a critical juncture at which change is inevitable, for better or worse. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the civil unrest persists around the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, it is well-known that the US is facing a mental health crisis among our children and youth. In partnership with American Institutes for Research & the Forum for Youth Investment, the Afterschool Alliance is excited to announce a series of webinars focused on the why and how of implementing trauma-informed approaches in youth development programs. In a series of three webinars we will discuss the importance of trauma-informed approaches in out-of-school time settings, and the critical role that afterschool and summer program providers and networks can play in helping youth manage and recover from trauma.

PART I: Using Evidence to Support Trauma-Informed Approaches to Healing in Afterschool

This webinar, will feature expert presenters from Turnaround for Children, the Search Institute, and the Forum for Youth Investment. The webinar will illuminate what we know about the effects of adversity on child and adolescent brain development, with an eye toward why trauma-informed practices are so important and practical tools and strategies for programs to employ when working with youth who may be dealing with trauma. Join us for a conversation with experts in the field who will provide perspectives on trauma-informed approaches as a critical lever to ensure educational equity, and discuss the importance of youth development programs in addressing adverse childhood experiences.

Date and Time: Thursday, October 1, 2020, 2:00 PM

Registration for PART II and PART III of the “Caring for Children and Youth in Crisis” series will be announced in the coming weeks.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S1guaM2NR8mOlzvnNTZtfA?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=Caring_for_Children_and_Youth_in_Crisis_Webinar_Series_Announcement&utm_medium=email

The Afterschool Alliance is looking for youth across the country ages 13+ to submit content and apply to be Youth Ambassadors. Youth whose pieces are published by AA will receive $75. 8 Youth Ambassadors will be trained and receive a $500 stipend.

Read more: http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/afterschoolsnack/Young-people-speaking-up-for-what-they-believe-in-Let-s_06-19-2020.cfm