BALTIMORE, June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 3, over 250 community members, leaders, and mentors gathered at Baltimore Unity Hall for the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund's (BCYF) second annual Community Exhibition. The evening was a celebration of the impact made by the city's youth serving nonprofits and an inside look into their plans for the future, including the launch of #bcreds. The new online program designed by BCYF specifically for grassroots and community-based organizations offers accessible, high-quality financial learning experiences across all devices.

This high-energy event was the culmination of BCYF's 6-month city-wide learning series titled the learning lab, diligently designed to strengthen Baltimore's youth development ecosystem. Each event over the past six months was curated with one intention in mind: to explore innovative models and strategies that align with BCYF's city-wide initiative to build Baltimore's very own Youth Master Plan (YMP).

With opening remarks from community leader and partner, Mayor Brandon Scott, attendees were welcomed into an immersive experience highlighting the grantees' accomplishments that would not have been possible without BCYF's financial support and capacity building programs. 

"This Community Exhibition is what happens when you invest in grassroots leaders and give the space, support, and respect that they need to be successful. Through the learning lab, BCYF has created a dynamic citywide experience with one thousand participants and 60 hours of programming with a focus on equipping youth and adult leaders with the skills, networks and tools to help them grow into better versions of themselves," Mayor Scott explained. "The results speak for themselves. They are building a capacity for these grassroots organizations making them more sustainable, more connected, and even more impactful."

While grassroots leaders showcased their masterful storytelling skills upstairs developed through the learning lab, participants also indulged in an immersive gallery walk and live demonstrations for #bcreds downstairs.

"Walking through the gallery and seeing just how much output and outcomes these youth serving organizations have been able to make within our community was extremely moving," one attendee recalled. "These organizations are not only protecting our future leaders through their programming, but they are introducing them to things like the arts, STEM, marketing, and yoga that they otherwise would have never experienced. As the community leaders shared their organizations success stories, many of their previous youth participants were in the audience. They shared how they have received scholarships, graduated college debt-free and returned to serve the same community that poured into them during their adolescence."

Nonprofit and grassroots organizations were also invited to sign up for #bcreds to strengthen their capacity through short, skills-based learning opportunities focused on real-world topics like financial management, strategic planning, fundraising, and program design. The web-based learning program was thoughtfully designed with retention in mind, ensuring users actively absorb the material rather than simply read through it.

The first #bcreds course is now available online, titled Making $ense: Reading Financial Statements for Nonprofits. The course teaches users how to read and analyze financial documents to increase their confidence as their organizations prepare for financial planning and growth opportunities. These self-paced training sessions are free and accessible to anyone serving Baltimore's youth, underscoring BCYF's commitment to not just building programs, but strengthening the organizations behind them.

Events like the learning lab and platforms like #bcreds offer a national invitation for communities to rethink how learning, leadership, and community investment go hand in hand—positioning Baltimore as a model for innovation in nonprofit management and youth development.

For more information about BCYF and the learning lab, visit bcyfund.org/connect/learninglab. For more information about #bcreds, visit bcyfund.org/connect/bcreds.

About the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund:
The effort to create a dedicated fund to support programs for Baltimore's young people was launched in 2015 by then-City Council President Bernard "Jack" C. Young — a response to the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, an event that sharply illuminated longstanding inequities in public funding in Black communities. Supported by Baltimore City residents' tax dollars, since 2020 BCYF has awarded over $31M to Baltimore programs serving children and youth.

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SOURCE Baltimore Children & Youth Fund