Evanston hit hard by federal funding freeze

Afterschool programming used by two-thirds of local students on chopping block

EVANSTON — Between $6 billion and $7 billion in federal grant funding for a variety of educational enrichment programs has been frozen, impacting thousands of communities nationwide, many of which are rural and low-income. 

A reason for the “pause” of funds for review was provided in a press release from the White House Office of Management and Budget, which stated that “initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda.” Further correspondence, directly from the Department of Education, stated “Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review. The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” 

The funds, previously appropriated through a continuing resolution by a bipartisan Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 15, have now been retracted into an uncertain holding pattern. 

Many agencies were given the news on the afternoon of June 30, with less than 24 hours’ notice. 

“This is just traumatic for America’s families,” Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant has said in multiple broadcast interviews. The programs, she said, “keep our kids safe and are a lifeline for our working parents and it inspires learning where our kids have academic support and enrichment activities.” 

The particular aforementioned grant, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, benefits 1.4 million American school-aged children across roughly 10,000 sites throughout the country, offering before and after school enrichment, summer programs, educator development, translators for non-English speaking students, mental health services and school technology services. 

In Wyoming, the same grant funds 79 sites and 6,800 students. 

Uinta County School District 1 boasts a notable 16% majority of the entire state’s demand for the services, recently accommodating 1,121 students from summer 2024 to May 2025. 

That figure accounts for 67% of all school-aged students in Evanston. 

Annually, nearly 350 students attend Camp Create, Extreme Science Camp, Uinta Science School and the 3D Printing Camp during summer break. 

“We have a ton of kids that participate in these programs,” 21CCLC Program Director Tamra Petersen told the Herald. “Our collaboration and the partnership we have with UCSD 1 is really special, I think it’s just something parents have come to expect.” 

The funding was initially secured by the community in 2002. Petersen was hired as the program director in 2005. 

Uinta Boards of Cooperative Educational Services No. 1 began managing the grant and overseeing programming by 2012, a move that solidified the partnership between the program and UCSD1. 

“The grant has really evolved,” Petersen said, explaining that it simply began as a safe place for kids to be after school until their parents got off work. The program has since grown into full-fledged educational enrichment, offering access to opportunities and resources not necessarily offered during regular school hours such as robotics, art, 3D printing, audio/visual club and cross-country skiing. 

“We’ve tried to adapt to what the district needed and respond as such,” Petersen said. 

“These programs have been so integrated into our school district that people, by and large, are not aware that this is a separately-funded grant that goes through BOCES,” Uinta BOCES No. 1 Director Dr. Sheila McGuire explained to the Herald.

UCSD 1 contributes nominal line-item funding for the programs in addition to offering use of facilities and providing food and evening bus transportation. 

“It’s pretty amazing to have hard data [that] it’s validating that these kids that are participating are seeing improvement in WYTOPP testing scores,” Petersen said. “It’s a testament to the dedication of these teachers.” 

This past fiscal year, BOCES employed between 100 and 125 UCSD 1 educators for afterschool programs during the 2024-25 school year and for last month’s summer camp, though some of those teachers did both. 

“It is extra income for a lot of teachers in the district,” McGuire said, highlighting further collateral damage from the unavailability of the funds. 

“We are secure financially through the rest of summer, but there’s no idea of what we can do to help with the review process,” Petersen said. “Essentially, fall programming is up in the air — that includes early birds and after school.” 

McGuire, responding to the notion of fraud, waste and abuse allegations, said, “This works on a reimbursement basis — we submit every single receipt. The amount of double-checking that goes into this is staggering; it’s a tremendous amount of work.” 

In addition to the carefully-accounted-for monthly invoices, the grant is also meticulously audited annually. 

“That process takes months,” McGuire said. 

The Evanston Child Development Center and the Evanston Youth Club also receive funding from the indefinitely-halted grant for their respective afterschool programs. 

“The youth club is facing major negative impacts to our programs due to the federal funding freeze,” Evanston Youth Club CEO Holly West told the Herald. “We stand to lose $98,000 of our annual funding, roughly 20% of our income.” 

West said that her organization serves over 300 local youths and, while funding cuts are often carefully budgeted for, it’s nearly impossible to anticipate a deficit so large and sudden. 

“We are dedicated to providing our programs and we know our work is vital for our youth and community,” West said, expressing hope that she’ll be able to continue carrying out the club’s mission. 

“This has never happened before. We’re trying to develop ideas,” Petersen said of current efforts to save the programs. “We’ve never asked the community for help, but...” 

Both Petersen and McGuire said they will do everything they possibly can to offer something if the funds are not released. 

“But my biggest hope is that there is enough pushback and the funds get unfrozen,” Petersen added. 

Those concerned about the loss of programming may reach out to Wyoming’s Congressional Delegation. 

“It’s kind of a model program for the state,” McGuire said of the local program. “Tamra gets asked questions all the time from others across the state trying to get ideas for building a program like the one that has been created here. I don’t think people understand the gravity of the situation.”

This story was published on July 16, 2025.