Governor Moore, Arnold Ventures Announce $20 Million in Grant Awards to Support Programs that Help Maryland Youth Thrive

Funding through Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs will promote initiatives to uplift men and boys, community colleges, and Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters across the state 

ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 16, 2025) — In the culminating grants of the Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs, Governor Wes Moore and the philanthropy Arnold Ventures announced $20 million in total grant awards to promote the Moore-Miller Administration’s work to uplift young men and boys, Maryland Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates, and four community colleges to support implementation of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model. Together, the grants will help more than 3,000 Maryland youth and students thrive in their schools and communities. 

“Maryland’s young people are the future. We share a common duty to unlock their potential and elevate their dreams,” said Gov. Moore. ​“Through this partnership with Arnold Ventures, we have now invested a total of $40 million in proven initiatives to support the education and well-being of our children and young adults. And together, we are continuing to move in partnership to uplift young men and boys in our state.” 

The Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs is an evidence-based philanthropic partnership between the State of Maryland and Arnold Ventures. Governor Moore announced the partnership in February 2024 as a critical means to scale and expand programs across the state that will increase economic mobility and cradle-to-career outcomes for Marylanders. Through the partnership, Arnold Ventures has provided $20 million in matching funds to carefully selected programs to scale and expand proven programs in workforce training, education, and crime prevention. 

“Leaders often talk about money spent on a program, but they rarely talk about how well that program worked,” said Arnold Ventures Co-Founder and Co-Chair Laura Arnold. ​“With committed, determined partners like Governor Moore, Arnold Ventures is changing the conversation. Both ASAP and Big Brothers Big Sisters have been effective in improving the lives of young people and their communities, and we are pleased to extend these proven programs to thousands of Maryland’s young people.” 

The $20 million in new awards include: 

• $14.4 million to Harford Community College, Prince George’s Community College, Wor-Wic Community College, and Community College of Baltimore County, in collaboration with the Maryland Higher Education Commission. With this grant, these colleges will replicate the ASAP model. The model is a comprehensive community college program that provides academic, personal, and financial support to low-income students who would benefit from remedial education. ASAP is proven to significantly improve student graduation rates.
• $5.6 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters, in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and the Governor’s Office for Children. In Maryland, there are hundreds of youth waiting to be matched with mentors in Big Brothers Big Sisters — the overwhelming majority being boys. The investment will help alleviate a backlog in mentors, allowing Big Brothers Big Sisters to reach an additional 1,000 young people across nine counties with community-based mentoring. Mentorship programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters are proven to successfully address challenges facing young men and boys, including supporting mental health and substance use, keeping young men safe from violence, and strengthening pathways to careers and postsecondary education. The program will expand in Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Cecil, Frederick, Kent, Prince George’s, Somerset, Washington, and Wicomico counties.

Program implementation and expansion supported by the grants will begin this year and is expected to continue for four years. 

Past grantees of the Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs include ASSISTments to provide online digital learning and assessment to math students in 11 schools and Saga Education to provide high dosage tutoring to students in 16 schools to improve educational achievement. 

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is supporting the State of Maryland and Arnold Ventures in their effort to identify promising programmatic opportunities, implement and expand proven programs, and sustain public funding. 

Learn more about Partnerships for Proven Programs from Arnold Ventures.