STEM Champions of Baltimore Inc.
$30,000 / 2020 / Education
Over the past seven years, STEM Champions of Maryland has developed as a staging ground to prepare 375 students in 32 middle and high schools throughout the city for competition in numerous STEM based events as a part of the National Science Olympiad competition, the largest broad-based STEM competition in Baltimore. STEM Champions of Maryland trains teacher coaches to provide robust curricula and materials for each of the 18 Science Olympiad activities. STEM Champions also brings over 200 STEM professionals and volunteers together to work with teachers in afterschool practices and to facilitate the annual Citywide Science Olympiad competition.
St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Inc.
$100,000 / 2020 / Health and Human Services
Promise Housing is a new program of St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore that will serve unaccompanied homeless youth in Baltimore City. Part of the federally-funded Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, Promise Housing will provide 25 units of rapid rehousing and 23 units of permanent supportive housing, coupled with housing search assistance, case management, employment support services, and other services tailored to the needs and interests of the clients. This grant provides flexible financial assistance to remove financial barriers to housing and employment faced by Promise Housing clients.
Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc.
$10,000 / 2020 / Education
The SAFE Center youth facility opened in 2015 in order to provide West Baltimore middle school students with 1,250 hours of supervised, afterschool, weekend, and summer programming annually. Focusing on learning opportunities in the areas of literacy, STEAM, and health and fitness, the SAFE Center works primarily with students from Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School. The current Abell Foundation grant is designed to address the challenges with remote learning by establishing an in-person learning pod for 22 middle school students. This learning pod provides students with access to the resources they need to attend school on-line as well as receive assistance from SAFE staff who can provide classwork assistance, monitor work completion, and provide a structured learning environment for the students.
Public Justice Center, Inc.
$50,000 / 2020 / Health and Human Services
The Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Rights project works to ensure access to critical services through a combination of research, education, advocacy,and litigation. The project will focus on three key priorities: 1) reducing maternal mortality disparities, with a specific focus on increasing access to doula care; 2) monitoring and enforcing state and federal laws requiring Maryland to pay for treatment of Hepatitis C for individuals on Medicaid; and 3) ensuring that state agencies and private healthcare providers are complying with state and federal language access laws that require the provision of translation and interpretation services for people with limited English proficiency. This grant supports the salary of the Health and Benefits Rights attorney, and associated project expenses.
MOMCares, Fiscally Sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.
$25,000 / 2020 / Health and Human Services
MOMCares provides prenatal and postpartum doula support to women who have complicated pregnancies and/or deliveries, particularly women whose newborns require neonatal intensive care treatment. MOMCares doulas work closely with each client to develop a holistic care plan based on the needs and desires of the new mother. The organization focuses on serving Black women, who have disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality due to a variety of factors, including the impact of systemic racism and chronic stress. By providing comprehensive support to new mothers who have had high risk pregnancies and deliveries, MOMCares aims to reduce the stresses that can result in maternal mortality. This grant provides general operating support for MOMCares.
