Grants

Initiative for a Competitive Inner City Inc. (ICIC)

ICIC will offer its entrepreneur training program, Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), to Baltimore businesses. The business technical assistance program started in 2005 to help urban entrepreneurs better position themselves to access capital, increase revenues, grow their businesses and create jobs. The program specifically targets companies located in low to moderate income areas, especially companies owned by people of color and by women, and they also accept businesses that draw 40 percent of their employment from low to moderate income communities. 

The Ingenuity Project

The Abell Foundation launched The Ingenuity Project for advanced math and science in 1994. Today, Ingenuity prepares and launches the next diverse generation of nationally competitive STEM leaders in Baltimore City Schools, serving 830 students in grades 6-12. This grant will enable Ingenuity to expand and improve access to students of color and students living in concentrated poverty by establishing a community-driven vision and systems to produce equitable outcomes for all students, supporting its new middle school program at James McHenry School in West Baltimore, and refining individualized support and STEM enrichment, including the high school practicum experience for all participants. Ingenuity will continue to serve as the exemplary accelerated math and science program that prepares Baltimore City students for selective colleges and STEM careers, demonstrating both excellence and equity.

Improving Education

The Abell Foundation has supported the work of Jarrod Bolte and his non-profit, Improving Education, over the last four years as they use improvement science to change the way schools work to improve reading outcomes for children. In 2020/21, City Schools has contracted with Improving Education to launch and faciliate a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) of 19 schools to assist teachers, administrators, and community providers in redesigning instructional and support mechanisms to improve early literacy outcomes for students from K through fifth grade. Working with 40 Literacy Coaches, 200 teachers and 6,000 students, Improving Education will share its literacy protocols in school innovation and early literacy instructional design.  Abell Foundation funds will enable Improving Education to continue some deep coaching work in the 19 schools to inform future practice. Improving Education expects to increase the number of participating students in grades K-5 meeting grade level reading proficiency by 15 percentage points from the beginning to end of year.

Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc.

Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP) provides free legal services to homeless individuals throughout Maryland.  This grant supports HPRP’s Homeless Youth Initiative, which provides direct representation to unaccompanied homeless youth on a range of legal needs, and advocates for policy solutions to youth homelessness in Maryland.  

Helping Oppressed People Excel (HOPE), Fiscally Sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.

HOPE is a descendant of the Public Safety Compact (PSC), a justice reinvestment agreement between the State of Maryland and the Safe and Sound Campaign. One of the PSC graduates is Antoin Quarles-El, a PSC graduate and founding member of the PSC Core Action Team – that led advocacy and peer-to-peer support for PSC participants. After the closure of the PSC, Mr. Quarles-El would not let the network falter and founded HOPE to provide continued peer support and connection to resources for fellow returning citizens.  Funding from the Abell Foundation will allow HOPE to continue its work with approximately 15-21 individuals weekl.  During the pandemic, HOPE mentorship has continued using phone calls and video-conferencing, providing an important social contact and support for its clients. Peer mentors keep in regular touch with members outside of weekly meetings too, checking-in on their status, health, and any new challenges or milestones.