Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership Announces $422,000 in Funding

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) announced $422,000 in funding for 16 programs that will serve hundreds of local youth this summer at the Springfield Jewish Community Center, one of the organizations to receive funding.

The 16 programs being funded by SEZP include American International College, the Center After School, Elms College, Follow My Steps, Hood Girl Collective, Hope for Youth and Families, Jewish Family Service, Rise Leap & Achieve, Mary Walsh Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, Neighborhood Guidance, Next Level Adventures, New North Citizens’ Council, Springfield Ballers, Springfield Jewish Community Center, and Strong Young Minds.

SEZP was selected by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as one of seven organizations statewide to subgrant and provide wraparound support to afterschool and out-of-school-time programs in Springfield. SEZP also oversees the application and selection process and manages the evaluation and measurement of the programs that receive funding.

This is the fourth year that SEZP has been selected to provide subgrants. To date, it has awarded $4.1 million in funds to nearly 30 local organizations that provide afterschool and summer programming in Springfield, reaching more than 3,700 students.

The goals of the funding are to strengthen the quality of, and increase access to, learning and enrichment programming that improves academic performance, college and career readiness, and social-emotional outcomes for youth. Families who are interested in enrolling their children in any of the 16 summer programs that received funding can visit springfield.registerboost.org.