Workforce Development

A trained and skilled workforce is essential to Baltimore’s health and economic growth. We support programs that train low-income, unemployed, and underemployed job seekers and help them find and keep jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.

We prioritize programs that:

  • Link Baltimore residents with criminal records to employment
  • Help trainees earn industry-recognized certifications and secure employment in high growth/high demand industries
  • Provide paid work experience through internships or on-the-job training
  • Provide essential workplace skills training
  • Focus on improving digital, math, and reading skills
  • Promote job retention and career advancement
  • Engage employers that are committed to providing family-sustaining wages and benefits
  • Connect program participants to needed services such as free tax preparation and transportation
  • Advocate for policies that remove barriers to employment and increase earnings for low-income families
Program Officer: Melanie Styles

Considering Applying?

Learn more about our eligibility and review criteria, and small and regular grants processes.

See Our Grants Process

Featured Work in Workforce Development

Photo courtesy of Wide Angle Media for Turnaround Tuesday.

Case Study: Turnaround Tuesday

The Turnaround Tuesday jobs initiative, created by BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development), connects Baltimore’s largest anchor institutions to unemployed neighborhood residents. With support from Abell, Turnaround Tuesday has grown into a significant employment pipeline to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Medical Center, and MedStar Hospital.

Abell-Supported Research: Long-Term Services and Supports in Baltimore

A framework for improving job quality and creating a highly trained direct care and services workforce.

Photo courtesy of Wide Angle Media for Vehicles for Change.

Case Study: Vehicles for Change

Without regular access to reliable transportation, it’s almost impossible to get and maintain employment. Since 1999, the Abell Foundation has supported Vehicles for Change (VFC) in making low-cost cars available to low-income job seekers in Baltimore City, fueling economic opportunity.

To date, VFC has trained over 175 individuals, boasting a 90% completion rate, a 98% job placement rate of program graduates, an average starting wage of $17.50 per hour, and a 95% one-year employment retention rate, although not all graduates are employed at their original job placement.

Past Grants

Learn more about our grantees and their work to enhance the quality of life in Baltimore.
Filter our past grants by year or program area, or search by keyword.

See Our Past Grants

Contact Us

Have questions or want to discuss your idea for workforce development in Baltimore? Get in touch using the form below.

    Header photo courtesy of BioTechnical Institute of Maryland.