IMPORTANT UPDATES
Below are some important updates about the Minnesota Afterschool Advance (MAA) program for 2025:
No New Lending in 2025
MAA has made the hard decision not to make new loans in 2025. There are many reasons for this decision. The most important is that it has become increasingly clear that the Minnesota K-12 Education Tax Credit (METC) and the related assignment process need significant administrative changes in order to work well at scale for families, service providers, lending programs like MAA, and the involved state government agencies. The current system is not working well enough as designed.Focus on Systems Change in 2025
MAA believes that fundamental system changes are urgently needed in order for the METC and assignment processes to truly work for all involved. Key stakeholders at the State of Minnesota have shown eagerness to review and improve the system. MAA intends to focus its energy on systems change in 2025. We hope that you will join us in this work.Ongoing Staff Resources
MAA will continue to offer staff resources, tax preparation support, and language translation for families who participated in MAA through 2024. Please contact Jazmin Wilson at jazmin@youthprise.org.
It’s important to note that the METC is still available and is a viable option for many families to gain access to afterschool activities. Visit https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/k-12-education-subtraction-and-credit to learn more about eligibility and how families can access the credit.
MAA deeply values all of its families, service providers, and partners. It is our hope that we can work together to build a better system for everyone involved.
Stay in the loop!
If you’d like to stay in the loop as we continue to work with the MN Department of Revenue on a working group later this spring, please sign up here and we’ll share more information when it becomes available.
In addition to advocating for changes related to the METC, Youthprise is working on a bill that would create community led driver's license hubs for Opportunity Youth. The priority population would be Opportunity Youth under the age of 25 (Youth experiencing homelessness–McKinney Vento, Coordinated Entry, meeting Homeless Youth Act definitions; Young Parents on MFIP; Former Fosters; Young people in the justice system; young people out of school and out of work aligned to a workforce program). The goal would be up to 200 young people a year in the process or earning their driver's education each year. In the event the assignment program is, in fact, eliminated, this bill could help fill in some of the gap for young people who were utilizing MAA for drivers education. Sign up to learn more and join our coalition below.