Middle Grades Partnership

What Middle Grades Partnership does

Middle Grades Partnership is a Baltimore, Maryland-based nonprofit founded in 2005 that runs a three-year enrichment program for academically promising Baltimore City public middle school students by pairing each public school with a private school partner. The organization operates five active public-private school pairings — for example, Hampstead Hill Academy with Friends School of Baltimore, Belair-Edison with Park School of Baltimore, and Baltimore Montessori Public Charter with Gilman School — delivering 160 hours of summer academic programming to halt summer learning loss and a year-round MGP LEADS curriculum focused on Leadership, Equity, Activism, Diversity, and Service. In 2025, MGP served 372 students in summer programming and reports that 85% of rising 9th graders were accepted to top academic public or private high schools, versus a 26% citywide average.

The organization is entirely donor-funded and raised nearly $1 million in FY2025 from a base of Baltimore-area and national foundations, corporate donors, and individuals. Programming is delivered free to students, with summer sessions hosted on private school campuses and school-year activities spanning both public and private school facilities; recruitment is driven by referrals through the partner public schools rather than paid marketing. MGP became an independent entity on October 1, 2021, using the Fund for Educational Excellence as its fiscal sponsor after operating as a nationally recognized initiative of the Baltimore Community Foundation since 2005. The organization operates with a lean staff of approximately 14 led by Executive Director Wendy Samet, with no proprietary technology platform and no disclosed AI/ML components — its core "product" is the curriculum and the cross-sector partnership model itself.

Name

Middle Grades Partnership

Legal name

Middle Grades Partnership

Website

https://middlegradespartnership.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Middle Grades Partnership is a Baltimore-based nonprofit founded in 2005 that pairs Baltimore City public middle schools with private schools to deliver 160 hours of summer enrichment and year-round leadership programming, serving 372 students in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

Keywords

• Youth education programs
• Summer learning enrichment
• School partnership initiatives
• Middle school enrichment
• Leadership development education

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private and Public Donations: Middle Grades Partnership raises nearly $1 million annually from private and public donors. 100% of donations support MGP programs. Funding comes from individual donors, foundations, corporate sponsors, and Baltimore City Public School System.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Middle Grades Partnership runs a three-year educational enrichment program for Baltimore City middle school students, delivering 160 hours of summer academic programming alongside year-round MGP LEADS leadership and social justice education. Programming is delivered through five public-private school partnerships that pair each public school with a private school partner, with curricula co-designed by teachers from both schools.

Product overview

Middle Grades Partnership offers a unified educational program consisting of two core components: the Summer Program providing 160 hours of academic enrichment and enrichment activities, and MGP LEADS offering year-round leadership and social justice education. Both programs operate through partnerships between Baltimore public and private schools, serving students from rising 6th grade through 9th grade entry. The organization runs five distinct school partnerships, each with tailored programming designed by teachers from both schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MGP LEADS: Leadership, Equity, Activism, Diversity & Service - year-round leadership and social justice education approach that teaches 21st-century skills through project-based learning

Products and services

• Middle Grades Partnership Summer Program A 160-hour summer learning program providing academic enrichment and enrichment activities (STEM, arts, leadership, outdoor experiences) for Baltimore City middle school students across the five public-private school partnerships, aimed at halting summer learning loss and preparing students for rigorous high schools.
• MGP LEADS (Leadership, Equity, Activism, Diversity & Service)

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic school partner in the Armistead Gardens/Maryvale partnership. Students from Armistead Gardens attend summer programming at Maryvale Preparatory School. Carolyn Bowman serves as Armistead Gardens Director. Students engage in STEM, academic enrichment, and social integration activities.
• Maryvale Preparatory SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate school partner in the Armistead Gardens/Maryvale partnership. Hosts summer programming for public school students. Carole Gonzalez serves as Maryvale Director. Provides campus facilities, teachers, and enrichment resources including horseback riding and overnight camping.
• Belair-Edison SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic school partner in Belair-Edison/Park School partnership. James Manni and Larin Walker Jr. serve as Belair-Edison Directors. Students participate in summer academic enrichment and year-round programming alongside Park School students.
• Park School of BaltimorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate school partner in Belair-Edison/Park School partnership. Assiatou Diallo serves as Park School Director. Provides campus for summer programming, teachers, and access to resources including dissection labs and overnight camping at Mount Royal.
• Baltimore Montessori Public Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic charter school partner in Baltimore Montessori/Gilman partnership. Kyle Birstler serves as BMP CS Director. Students engage in Montessori-aligned enrichment activities integrated with Gilman's academic resources.
• Gilman SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate school partner in Baltimore Montessori/Gilman partnership. Jessica Nelson serves as Gilman Director. Hosts summer programming and provides teachers, facilities, and enrichment resources including challenge courses and sports.
• Hampstead Hill AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic school partner in Hampstead Hill Academy/Friends School partnership. Brian White serves as Hampstead Hill Director. Students participate in comprehensive academic and enrichment programming.
• Friends School of BaltimorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate school partner in Hampstead Hill Academy/Friends School partnership. Erika Smith serves as Friends School Director. Hosts summer programming at campus providing art education, athletics, and academic instruction.
• Lillie May Carroll Jackson Public Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic charter school partner in Lillie May Carroll Jackson/Roland Park Country partnership. Latoya Parker serves as Lillie May Director. Students engage in social justice education and leadership development integrated with RPCS programming.
• Roland Park Country SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate school partner in Lillie May Carroll Jackson/Roland Park Country partnership. Cari Hummel serves as RPCS Director. Hosts summer programming including arts education, lifeskills, gardening, and camping experiences.
• Fund for Educational ExcellencecoreOthersSince October 1, 2021, MGP operates as its own entity using Fund for Educational Excellence as its fiscal sponsor. Donations are made payable to Fund for Educational Excellence and sent to their address at 800 North Charles Street, Suite 400, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BUILD: National youth-development nonprofit combining academic support, college/career readiness, and mentoring for underserved middle and high school students. Similar multi-year youth programming model with a focus on post-secondary outcomes.
• BellXcel: National nonprofit focused on summer and out-of-school-time programming for underserved youth, with an emphasis on evidence-based outcomes and scaling quality enrichment. Closely comparable mission, summer-learning focus, and outcome-evaluation approach.
• Summer Search: National nonprofit supporting low-income high school students through mentoring, summer experiential programs, and college/career advising. Comparable long-horizon youth investment model and donor-funded structure.
• Citizen Schools: National after-school and summer enrichment provider partnering with middle schools to expand learning time for low-income students. Comparable target population (middle schoolers) and expanded-learning model.
• Horizons National Student Enrichment: National network of summer enrichment programs pairing public and private school students to combat summer learning loss. Operates the same public-private partnership model as MGP across multiple cities, making it the closest structural peer.

Regional players

• Baltimore's Promise: Baltimore-focused cross-sector collaborative working to improve outcomes for youth from cradle to career. Operates in the same city and addresses overlapping educational-equity priorities, often funding or convening similar partners.
• KIPP Baltimore: Baltimore-based public charter school network serving predominantly low-income students with a college-preparatory focus. Operates in the same Baltimore education ecosystem with similar equity-driven mission and student demographics.
• CollegeBound Foundation: Baltimore-based nonprofit providing college-access advising and scholarships to Baltimore City Public Schools students. Sits at the next stage of MGP's pipeline, supporting the same student demographic through high school and into post-secondary education.

Others

• National Summer Learning Association: National advocacy and research organization that co-hosted the 2004 conference that inspired MGP's founding. Industry body setting standards for summer learning programs — adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.
• Fund for Educational Excellence: Baltimore-based nonprofit and MGP's fiscal sponsor since 2021, also funding innovative public-school programs. Operates as an ecosystem enabler and indirect governance counterparty rather than a programming peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MGPartnership
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCe_MRN_17VM0rcqbpZgsMng
• Facebookfacebook.com/MGPartnership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/middlegradespartnership
• Instagraminstagram.com/MGPartnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Middle Grades Partnership