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Summer educational program scrambling after federal funding cuts

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Published  May 30, 2025 10:10am CDT
Maplewood
FOX 9
Twin Cities summer program loses federal funding

Twin Cities summer program loses federal funding

Local summer program, Breakthrough Twin Cities, lost its federal funding. FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story.

The Brief

    • Cutbacks in the nation's capital are hitting close to home in Minnesota.
    • Breakthrough Twin Cities says the federal government cut $342,000 in grant money for its six-week summer program.
    • The nonprofit says the cut is part of $400 million in grants that were canceled by DOGE.

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - Breakthrough Twin Cities operates out of Mounds Park Academy. The organization says the loss in funding couldn't come at a worse time.

Leveling the playing field

What we know:

Breakthrough Twin Cities helps marginalized students get to college and prepares future teachers to adjust to the unexpected in the classroom.

Now those skills are coming in handy as the nonprofit faces a financial curveball of its own.

"It's really frustrating when you do everything right. You fill out your grants, you do all your reporting, you cross your t's, dot your i's, and then it's just taken right away," said the organization's Executive Director, Josh Reimnitz.

'We just don't have the reserves to withstand that'

The backstory:

A few weeks ago, the organization was notified that $342,000 in federal funding through AmeriCorps had been cut without warning. 

The grant makes up about a third of the budget for Breakthrough's six-week summer program, which was set to welcome 51 teaching fellows and about 400 students, between seventh and12th grade, in just a few weeks.

"We were not given a rationale. It said our grant no longer aligns with administrative purposes, and that's it," said Reimnitz.

So far, the organization has raised about $60,000 from individual donors and could be in line for a $150,000 emergency grant to offset part of the shortfall. But officials say the cuts could mean fewer field trips, cutting back on supplies and the number of teaching fellows, and even possible layoffs of some staff members.

"I just don't have that kind of money sitting around to fill in a big gap," said Reimnitz.

Frustration with the process

What they're saying:

The nonprofit says investing in students and potential educators is a benefit to society and anything that puts that mission in danger comes at a cost to our collective future.

"My hope is that people are aware that there are ramifications of some of these changes that are happening," said Remnitz.

Breakthrough Twin Cities says its summer program will most likely still start late next month, but if it doesn't receive another grant to fund the next three years, the program could be in jeopardy.

MaplewoodEconomyEducation