The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida say they are at risk of losing $2.4 million due to the Trump administration withholding grant money intended for after-school and summer programs.

The U.S. Department of Education is holding back the funds to evaluate whether the grants align with President Donald Trump’s policy goals.

The organization says the money helps fund tutors, mentors, literacy programs, and more — impacting as many as 1,500 children across the five counties they serve.

Jamie Merrill, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, said, “Jobs will be lost. Number of kids served and families served will be lost, and that’s not a place where any of us want.”

The funding in question comes from the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants — nearly $2.4 million, now frozen.

“It’s a deficit we were not expecting — over $250,000 just for the month of July alone,” Merrill said.

According to Merrill, the funding was supposed to be distributed on Tuesday. Instead, they were sent a notice by the Department of Education saying the Trump administration is holding and reviewing $6 billion in education grant money, with no timeline for release.

She said this delay has placed several of their programs in jeopardy.

“We have over 95% of our children in Central Florida at or above grade level, and it is because of programs like 21st Century. It’s giving us the funding to provide the tutors and the mentors that are coming to serve those kids for that,” she added.

High schooler Natalia Charles, who has been attending the club since first grade, said the programs have made a major difference in her academic performance.

When asked if learning over the summer helps, she replied, “It does because coming to the Boys & Girls Club always keeps you learning instead of just being at home learning nothing and scrolling on TikTok or Instagram.”

Now, the organization says they’re in limbo. The loss of funding could affect between 1,200 and 1,500 children in Central Florida.

“National impact: you’re looking at over 900 organizations that could be affected and over 220,000 children that may not be served, resulting in over 6,000 jobs. That’s not an impact that anybody wants,” Merrill said.