The year 2023 was a milestone for Baltimore: It was the first since the death of Freddie Gray that did not see more than 300 people murdered in the city. That development was remarkable not just because of the lives saved and trauma spared but also because of the holistic public safety strategy that helped produce it.
After decades of debate about policing and prosecutorial tactics, Baltimore leaders broadly embraced a view that the violence that has tragically defined this city for so long is not a problem in isolation but rather a product of complex, intertwined, and deeply seated disparities—in education, economic status, health, physical environment, and more—that are rooted in Baltimore’s history of segregation, disinvestment and persistent racial discrimination.
For violence reduction strategies to be successful, they must address these disparities and their root causes.
During the past year, the Abell Foundation has supported a number of direct approaches to reducing violence and improving public safety. But as has long been the case, the bulk of our funding has gone to help organizations that work to reduce disparities and the conditions under which violence took hold.
In the past year, that has included support for an innovative organization that helps people get and keep the identification documents needed for everything from renting an apartment to getting a job; a tutoring program that helps City Schools students succeed by pairing them with local college students; a food program that not only addresses hunger but also trains clients for careers and entrepreneurship; and organizations that provide paid work experience for returning citizens and teenagers who face significant employment barriers.
What these efforts share in common is a recognition of the complex obstacles many of our neighbors face and of the great potential they hold.
Baltimore’s challenges may be great, but they are not insurmountable. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the work of many organizations across the city that are dedicated to that proposition, and we are proud to share some of their stories here.