BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Internal documents show how Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration worked behind the scenes to secure millions of dollars from a taxpayer-funded nonprofit meant to support grassroots youth programs, bypassing the group’s typical grant process and drawing criticism from city leaders.
Records obtained through a public information request by Spotlight on Maryland reveal months of coordination between the mayor’s office and the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF), a nonprofit that receives more than 99% of its funding from city taxpayers. The communications show how the partnership was pitched, revised and ultimately approved—even as City Council members raised concerns about transparency, oversight and whether the money was being used as intended.
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BCYF is guaranteed taxpayer dollars annually through the Baltimore City Charter—about $16 million this fiscal year—to fund programs for children. But the organization has faced growing scrutiny following a series of Spotlight on Maryland reports examining its spending and lack of transparency, sparking an ongoing investigation by the Baltimore City Inspector General and new legislation aimed at tightening oversight.
At the center of the controversy is a plan for BCYF to send millions to the mayor’s office to fund youth initiatives, including YouthWorks. The proposal, initially framed at about $7 million and later reduced to about $6 million, sparked backlash from some City Council members and former Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young, the architect of BCYF who said it was created to support smaller, community-based organizations often overlooked for public funding.
The funding shift reduced the amount available for other grantees. BCYF’s fiscal year 2026 allocation for grants dropped to $9.23 million, a roughly 40% decrease from the previous year.
Emails and meeting records obtained by Spotlight on Maryland show senior city officials coordinating directly with BCYF leadership over several months to advance the plan. That included Noell West, an assistant deputy mayor who also serves on BCYF’s board of directors, raising questions about overlapping roles in decisions concerning taxpayer-funded grants.
The documents indicate that the City Council, which is tasked with overseeing BCYF, was not included in early discussions about the partnership. They also show the mayor’s office did not go through the same competitive grant process required of other organizations seeking BCYF funding.
In December 2024, West coordinated a meeting with herself and J.D. Merrill—then deputy mayor for equity, health, and human services—along with BCYF President Alysia Lee and BCYF Board Chair Larry Simmons. The group met again in February 2025.
Merrill later arranged an introductory meeting between Lee and Calvin Young—then a senior advisor to the mayor—on March 25, 2025. Another meeting that same day, titled “BCYF hearing prep,” included Lee, Simmons, Merrill and other members of the mayor’s office. Hours later, Merrill announced BCYF would send $7 million to the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED).
“I am writing to connect you to Director MacKenzie Garvin, who leads the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development,” Merrill emailed Lee on March 25, 2025. “I briefed her this morning on BCYF’s $7 million investment in YouthWorks for FY26 and she is very appreciative. Thank you for your ongoing support of Baltimore’s young people!”
But the details quickly shifted.
Internal emails show officials adjusting funding amounts within days. The group also coordinated an exclusive story on the partnership in Afro News, then sought corrections after backtracking on the exact details.
“Sorry, should’ve called you last night — last night [chief administrative officer] asked us to reduce the YouthWorks amount from $7M to $6M and increase the summer youth engagement amount from $500k to $1.5M — will fill you in our check this afternoon,” Merrill wrote on March 27, 2025, to Lee, Simmons and West, according
At the same time, BCYF’s board had not yet approved the funding. Board minutes from an April meeting show Merrill, on behalf of Scott’s office, “joined the board to answer questions about a potential partnership.” The board then unanimously approved BCYF’s 2025 grantee slate in the same meeting. The documents do not detail the full list of grantees.
Conflicting figures continued to surface in public documents. In April, Scott released his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026, which stated BCYF was “investing” $6.9 million to “support youth related programming” within MOED. BCYF published a press release that same month stating it provided $4.9 million for YouthWorks and $1.5 million for the “Mayor’s Offices Initiatives.”
Young was promoted to Scott’s chief of staff in April 2025, then moved to a deputy mayor role later that year. Merrill was promoted to succeed Young as chief of staff in November.
BCYF did not respond to detailed questions about the partnership:
A spokesperson for Scott’s office reiterated that BCYF’s board approved $5.9 million: $4.9 million for YouthWorks and $1 million for the “Summer Youth Engagement Strategy.”
“The Mayor’s office believes that investments in youth sports, YouthWorks, and summer youth engagement programs are an appropriate use of BCYF dollars, and we are glad the board agreed,” the mayor’s spokesperson told Spotlight on Maryland. “Last year’s summer youth engagement strategy played an instrumental role in decreasing youth homicide and nonfatal shooting victims by 17.1%, decreasing youth robbery victimizations by 30.9%, and helped provide safe environments for the over 1,300 young people who attended at least one of three splash fest teen pool parties and the over 3,000 young people who attended a BCRP summer camp.”
However, documentation of how the money was spent remains incomplete.
A public records request filed by Spotlight on Maryland last year returned records detailing YouthWorks spending but did not include documentation for the remaining $1 million.
When asked about the gap, a spokesman for the mayor’s office said the request only covered MOED records and that other departments would require separate requests. Months later, the administration has not clarified which office managed the remaining funds.
Spotlight on Maryland reported in January 2025 on how BCYF’s former vice president of finance alleged she was terminated by the nonprofit’s leadership shortly after sharing internal line-by-line spending reports with Mayor Scott’s office. BCYF denied the allegations.
City leaders have since moved to tighten oversight.
Six members of the Baltimore City Council cosponsored a bill in September that would require all recipients, including the mayor’s office, to apply through the same competitive grant process. The bill advanced through committee in April and is expected to be debated Monday.
The lead sponsor of the bill, Councilman Mark Parker (District 1), was added to BCYF’s board the same month he brought forth the legislation.
Councilman Zach Blanchard (District 11), one of the six cosponsors of the bill, told Spotlight on Maryland the legislation would help prevent backdoor deals between BCYF and the mayor’s office, as seen last year.
“The intent is for BCYF to largely be used for grassroots organizations,” Blanchard said. “This was a widely shared concern at the council last year: making sure BCYF funds were being used in the way they were intended. I think Councilman Parker’s bill, by making sure the mayor’s office submits their application like everyone else, effectively addresses that concern.”
City Council President Zeke Cohen also pointed to the legislation as a corrective step, emphasizing the need for transparency.
“The Baltimore City Council is committed to supporting our young people in a transparent and responsible way,” Cohen told Spotlight on Maryland in an emailed statement. “I am grateful to Chair Bullock and Vice Chair Parker for advancing a bill on increased BCYF oversight in the Education, Youth, and Older Adults Committee. Baltimore deserves world-class governance; and that is what our Council will continue to deliver.”
Cohen had previously raised concerns during a June budget hearing when projected funding levels did not match what BCYF’s board had approved.
“I struggle with hearing that there’s an assumption in the budget that is not the same as what the board has allocated,” Cohen said at the time.
Councilman Mark Conway (District 4), another cosponsor of the bill, told Spotlight on Maryland that the mayor’s office used BCYF contrary to its intended purpose.
“BCYF was created to expand opportunities for young people, not to fill gaps in government or create confusion about how these dollars are being used,” he said. “I do have concerns about whether this partnership blurred those lines. When funding is directed to a mayoral office, it raises real questions about independence and accountability. We also have to ask whether those dollars could have been better invested directly into grassroots organizations that are on the ground every day working with our youth.”
Conway said he would like to see transparency and results regarding how BCYF partnered with the mayor’s office.
“City Council was not meaningfully brought into this process, and that’s a problem,” he said. “When we’re talking about funding at this level, there should be transparency and engagement on the front end, not after decisions have already been made. Right now, I have not seen the level of measurable outcomes that would justify this kind of partnership. We should be able to clearly say who was served, how they were served, and what impact it had.”
Separate documents show the mayor’s office also pitched additional partnerships to BCYF, including funding for youth athletics with Baltimore City Public Schools. While internal communications referenced a $500,000 proposal, a school system spokesperson told Spotlight on Maryland that BCYF ultimately contributed $300,000.
“Over the past few years, City Schools has made a deliberate effort to expand athletic opportunities for our middle school students,” said Sherry Christian, a spokeswoman for City Schools. “That commitment is yielding meaningful results—during the 2024–2025 school year, nearly 4,300 City Schools middle school students participated in athletics, tripling participation compared to just three years prior. Already this year, about 4,000 middle school students have participated in City Schools fall and winter sports programming.
“Also, this year, Baltimore City partnered with BCYF to contribute an additional $300,000 to further expand school sports programs this spring.”
When asked if BCYF will fund the mayor’s office in the new fiscal year, a spokesperson for Scott responded: “Not at this time.”
Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 News and WJLA in Washington, D.C. Have a news tip? Call 410-467-4670 or emailSpotlightOnMaryland@sbgtv.com. Contact Patrick Hauf atpjhauf@sbgtv.comand @PatrickHauf.
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