Mayor Bowser Awards Millions to DC Organizations for Summer Programming

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the recipients of substantial grant funding for out-of-school programming during a celebratory event on Friday. The announcement coincided with festivities marking middle school students’ enrollment in their future high schools following the release of My School DC lottery results for the 2024-25 academic year.

The My School DC common application and public school lottery, responsible for assigning placements to new students in all participating schools, attracted over 23,000 applicants this year. Of these, 72% received offers from schools they applied to. While lottery results were revealed on March 29, families have until May 1 to formally enroll at their designated schools to secure their seats.

Mayor Bowser emphasized the significance of the occasion, stating, “Today is an important celebration of our students and it is also a celebration of the many fantastic schools we have across DC that our students and families are excited to enroll in.”

During the event, it was announced that over $1.4 million in grants, known as the Summer Strong DC Grants, would be allocated to organizations supporting summer programming. Additionally, Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget will see an investment of $27.3 million in out-of-school-time programming.

The Summer Strong DC Grants, distributed among 18 schools and nonprofits, aim to provide children with access to enriching summer activities. Recipients were chosen based on the quality of their program proposals and their capacity to serve the community. Each organization stands to receive a grant of up to $100,000 to bolster their summer programming initiatives, which will encompass academic enrichment, STEM, sports, college and career readiness, arts, and community engagement.

For families still interested in joining school waitlists for the My School DC Lottery, post-lottery applications can be submitted at MySchoolDC.org.