Former Baltimore City Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young is speaking out after a Spotlight on Maryland report about spending by the taxpayer-supported Baltimore Children and Youth Fund.
The report published Friday morning detailed an all-expense-paid trip the fund provided for 100 local activists in February 2024. The trip, dubbed the “Opening Plenary” by BCYF, brought the activists to Montgomery, Alabama, for a stay at the four-star Renaissance Hotel & Spa. The junket featured yoga sessions, a guest speaker and a visit to a nearby museum.
Young is the architect of BCYF, which was created in 2016 when voters approved a charter amendment guaranteeing millions of taxpayer dollars for the fund every year. The funding never sunsets and is not subject to regular performance auditing by Baltimore City.
“This [is] not what I envisioned when I created the Baltimore City Youth Fund,” Young wrote on social media. “I envisioned money going to small community-based organizations that are doing the work with our youth, not extravagant trips for we community leaders.”
Young called on the city to fund his vision for BCYF as was originally intended. BCYF was stood up as a nonprofit outside city government after Young called for a one-off city audit of the fund in 2019. That audit raised concerns about the fund’s recordkeeping and grantmaking. The fund now has 20 staff members listed on its website.
“I did not envision them taking trips and doing yoga for community members who are not young children,” Young said in a phone interview. “My vision wasn’t to have 20 or more employees.”
During the interview, Young called on Mayor Scott and the Baltimore City Council to amend the city charter to mandate better oversight of the fund. Another Opening Plenary is scheduled to take place in February 2025 in New Orleans, which Young said should be canceled.
A spokesperson for BCYF has not returned requests for comment about its Alabama trip. A spokesperson for Scott has also failed to answer requests for comment on the matter.
BCYF received $14.8 million from Baltimore City in 2022. Of that total, just 62% was spent on direct grantmaking. The remaining $5.6 million went toward administrative expenses, salaries and management fees. The finances of many of the organizations receiving grants from BCYF are shrouded due to a process called fiscal sponsorship, which is promoted by Baltimore City through the fund.
Individuals tied to Baltimore City Hall benefitted from the 2024 Opening Plenary. Alanah Nichole Davis was paid $7,250 to write a 750-word reflection about the event and to “document audio reflections” during the plenary. Davis was hired by Scott’s office in May 2024. She serves as the mayor’s “chief storyteller” and makes $114,804 annually.
Dr. Bodunrin Banwo, a former employee at the Baltimore City Health Department, was also paid to provide services at the Opening Plenary.
Baltimore City voters this year approved the creation of an additional fund, the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Fund. Former Baltimore Chief Equity Officer Dana P. Moore warned against creating the new fund, noting the existing Equity Assistance Fund, which was approved by voters in 2018, remains unfunded.
It is unclear whether the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Fund will be structured as an outside nonprofit similar to BCYF. Sen. Mary Washington, a Baltimore Democrat, cautioned against such a structure in an October statement.
“The Fund should be located in the Office of the Comptroller for fiscal transparency and accountability,” Washington wrote. “It should never become a separate 501(c)(3) like the Baltimore Civic Fund nor managed by an outside operative like the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund.”
Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture by FOX45 News and The Baltimore Sun. Got a story idea or news tip? Reach out to Julian Baron on X or via email at jtbaron@sbgtv.com.