Administration’s FY 2027 “Skinny” Budget Proposal released: Eliminates dedicated funding for afterschool and summer

The President’s proposed “skinny” budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which would support education programs from summer 2027 through the end of the 2027-2028 school year, proposes to zero out funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting local school and community-based afterschool and summer learning programs. This would mark the second straight year of proposed elimination for 21st CCLC, a program that supports nearly 10,000 local programs serving almost 1.4 million children across the nation.

The Department of Education section of the “skinny” or preliminary budget proposal, released on April 3, 2026, and the Department's more detailed summary, echo the Administration’s FY 2026 proposal with regard to elimination and consolidation of funding. The new 2027 proposal eliminates 21^st CCLC, along with 16 other education programs totaling $6.5 billion, and creates a new $2 billion “Make Education Great Again” grant program. An additional $2.1 billion in other education programs are eliminated outright. Congress will now consider the proposal and then craft spending legislation for FY 2027. The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled consideration of its education spending bill for early June.

The proposal’s consolidation and elimination of 21st CCLC as dedicated funding and support for local community-based and school-based afterschool and summer learning programs would mean the loss of infrastructure and supports for quality program improvement, staff training, and professional development. It is unclear if nonprofit, community-based afterschool providers would be able to access funds directly through the Make Education Great Again (MEGA). Under the proposed MEGA grants, states “would be required to reserve (1) at least 25% of the reserved funds to support literacy activities that advance, increase, expand, or focus on evidence-based literacy instruction; and (2) at least 25% of the reserved funds to support evidence-based mathematics instruction that provides students with meaningful learning experiences that promote strong core instruction, offer personalized and relevant learning opportunities, and support deep understanding of foundational and developmental mathematics concepts. Remaining funds could be used to support activities under the 17 consolidated K–12 education grant programs, with States and localities having the flexibility to deploy these resources in a manner consistent with the needs of their communities.”

Overall, for the Department of Education, the FY 2027 Budget Proposal requests $76.5 billion in discretionary budget authority for FY 2027, a $2.3 billion or 2.9% decrease from the 2026 enacted level. Last year, a cut of $12.4 billion or 15.6% was proposed. The difference in the size of the proposed decrease appears largely due to this year’s proposed funding to shore-up the federal Pell Grant program.

The budget proposal could have a wide-ranging impact on federal support for afterschool and summer learning programs, beyond the proposal to eliminate dedicated afterschool funding. The FY 2027 skinny budget proposal is short on details about many of the programs within the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and other agencies, that can support afterschool and summer learning programs. However, the following is included in this preliminary budget proposal:

• Title I Part A Grants to Local Education Agencies: $18.4 billion for Title I Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which targets federal support to disadvantaged schools, level with FY 2026. Schools can spend Title I funds on afterschool and summer learning programs.
   
• Make Education Great Again (MEGA) Grants. The Budget provides $2 billion for a new program, MEGA grants, which would consolidate “the majority of the Department’s elementary and secondary education grant programs.” The MEGA grants provide every state with additional funding to pursue “locally-driven improvements in math and reading. According to the budget proposal, “this overhaul of grant-making eliminates the Department’s ability to micromanage Federal funds intended for local communities, improves efficiency, cuts red tape for school districts, and reduces the Federal footprint.”
   
• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding which flows through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) appears to be level-funded.
   
• Career, Technical, and Adult Education proposed decrease of $1.5 billion.
   
• Community Development Block Grant in Department of Housing and Urban Development was again proposed for elimination.
   
• AmeriCorps would be eliminated, “returning responsibility to fund national service and volunteerism to the private and nonprofit sectors.” The budget requests $107.681 million to support the orderly shutdown of AmeriCorps operations.
   
• Community Service Block Grant in HHS again proposed for elimination.
   
• National Science Foundation and NASA education funding again proposed for elimination.
   
• The following programs are among those that would be eliminated and replaced by the MEGA grants:
  • Title IV Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
  • Statewide Family Engagement Centers
  • Education for Homeless Children and Youths
  • Title II-A Funds for Teacher Professional Development 
     
• The following programs are among those that would be eliminated under the budget proposal:
  • Title IV Part F Full-Service Community Schools
  • Education, Innovation, and Research (EIR)
  • TRIO and GEAR UP

The FY 2027 appropriations process now moves to Congress, where the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will decide funding for all federal programs, including afterschool and summer learning through 21st CCLC. 

After a proposed elimination of dedicated 21^st CCLC funding in May 2025, friends of afterschool successfully made the case to Congress, which maintained funding for FY 2026 to support programs this summer and through the 2026-2027 school year.

The research base for afterschool is clear. Afterschool and summer programs keep kids safe, improve school attendance, engage kids in learning, and help them reach their full potential. They also help working parents keep their jobs and reduce parental stress and boost productivity. Learn more about the evidence base for afterschool and 21st CCLC, as well as the wide range of positive outcomes.

Sadly, too many young people are missing out, and the budget proposal will result in even more lost opportunity. Act now and reach out to Congress to share how critical local afterschool and summer learning programs are for your community and family.