Grants

The Abell Foundation awards grants to nonprofit community partners working to improve the quality of life in Baltimore. We provide seed funding for innovative pilots, support for ongoing community programs and services, and funding for capital projects. In addition to providing grant funding, the Foundation supports our nonprofit partners through connection to our local and national networks, as well as our team’s deep experience in and knowledge of Baltimore as it relates to our program areas.

Learn More About Our Process

Submit an Application

Considering Applying?

First-time applicants with grant requests greater than $10,000 should reach out to an Abell staff member to discuss their idea or submit a short letter of inquiry prior to submitting a regular grant application.

Ready to Apply for a Small Grant?

For first-time or returning applicants with grant requests of $10,000 or less. We accept and review small grant applications on a rolling basis. There is no deadline to apply for a small grant.

Ready to Apply for a Regular Grant?

For returning applicants and those who have a verified fit with the Foundation’s priorities for requests greater than $10,000. Regular grant applications are reviewed at one of five Board meetings each year.

Returning to a Saved Application or Submitting a Report?

Log into the grant portal below to return to a saved application or submit a report for a previously awarded grant. Report forms can be found under the “Requirements” tab.

See Our Past Grants

The Community Builders

$100,000 / 2020 / Health and Human Services

The Community Builders is a national nonprofit organization that develops and operates affordable housing supported by services designed to strengthen and sustain both the residents of the buildings and of the surrounding communities. This grant will support the construction of a health and wellness center at City View at McCulloh, a 350 unit apartment building that houses low-income seniors and non-elderly people with disabilities.   

Civic Works, Inc.

$100,000 / 2020 / Workforce Development

The Center for Sustainable Careers (CSC) has built a multi-tiered green career “pathway out of poverty” by training and placing Baltimore City residents in the infastructure remediation and residential energy-efficiency industries.  Across its programs, CSC has maintained an average job placement rate of 93%.  Since 2014, 81% of graduates have remained employed for at least one year.  Over the next year, with funding from the Abell Foundation, CSC will train 80 Baltimore City residents for entry-level positions as well as 24 incumbent workers. .  

City Life Community Builders

$30,000 / 2020 / Community Development

City Life Community builders is renovating and selling 53 market rate houses just south of the Henderson Hopkins School. Grant funds will be used to support down payment and closing cost assistance for police officers and others working in security staffing in the neighborhoods surrounding their Henderson Crossing redevelopment project.

CASH Campaign of Maryland

$120,000 / 2020 / Workforce Development

The Baltimore CASH Campaign—Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope—was launched in 2001 to increase access to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a powerful work incentive and poverty-alleviation tool, lifting more families out of poverty than any other federal aid program.  Now a program of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, Baltimore CASH plans to serve 7,500 Baltimore residents by operating 15 to 20 free tax preparation sites, continuing its efforts to build high volume sites that can provide quality tax preparation, and asset development services.

Blue Water Baltimore, Inc.

$55,000 / 2020 / Environment

Blue Water Baltimore advances clean water and watershed protection and elevates citizen concerns through multiple fronts: water and outfall sampling, data collection and scientific analysis, outreach and education, green infrastructure installation and tree plantings, cultivation and sale of native plants, targeted policy work, legislative advocacy, as well as litigation to hold polluters accountable under the Clean Water Act. This grant provides staff support to address top pollutants plaguing Baltimore City and its waterways: stormwater runoff and sewage overflows.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.