Community Wealth Builders, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Philanthropy Network
$40,000 / 2020 / Community Development
Community Wealth Builders (CWB) focuses on promoting and catalyzing community wealth building models and strategies in Baltimore City neighborhoods that have experienced historical disinvestment. The Maryland Neighborhood Exchange helps Baltimore neighborhoods to grow local, minority owned businesses and community wealth through investment crowdfunding via a virtual platform through which local investors and businesses can learn about crowdfunding and connect. It helps these businesses mobilize their customers, fans, and other interested residents to step forward and invest. This grant provided support for staffing efforts to support the expansion of the Exchange to target and support businesses in a second community in Baltimore City.
Civic Works, Inc.
$40,000 / 2020 / Community Development
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, Civic Works created the Affordable Produce Delivery Program where participants pay $5 for a box containing a $15-$20 value for one week of produce. Civic Works Real Food Farm (RFF) will serve approximately 5,000 Baltimore City older adults and family members, a majority of whom are African American. The grant will cover partial salaries of the food distribution manager, the Food and Farm manager and one AmeriCorp member, as well as vehicle mileage, supplies and PPE, printing and copying and phone costs of client order intake.
Black Yield Institute, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Philanthropy Network
$45,000 / 2020 / Community Development
Black Yield Institute promotes the concept of black land ownership and food sovereignty through the development of ghe Cherry Hill Urban Community Farm. The farm increases access to healthy, affordable food; fosters positive community activity on a vacant Housing Authority of Baltimore City site; offers educational, skill building, and leadership development opportunities; and promotes dialogue about food access, neighborhood development, and environmental justice. Grant funding supports staff costs, equipment and supplies to continue urban farming production.
Black Women Build – Baltimore
$30,000 / 2020 / Community Development
Black Women Build – Baltimore buys abandoned houses, works with Black women to restore them and then sells the houses to the women at affordable prices. The organization instructs trainees in the carpentry, electrical and plumbing trades while they work on homes they may later purchase. Trainees do not earn a license in a trade, but they are equipped with skills that they can parlay into a construction job and into savings from the knowledge of home maintenance. Grant funds will be used as down payment and closing cost assistance to support three home purchasers.
Black Women Build – Baltimore
$30,000 / 2020 / Community Development
Black Women Build – Baltimore buys abandoned houses, works with Black women to restore them and then sells the houses to the women at affordable prices. The organization instructs trainees in the carpentry, electrical and plumbing trades while they work on homes they may later purchase. Trainees do not earn a license in a trade, but they are equipped with skills that they can parlay into a construction job and into savings from the knowledge of home maintenance. Grant funds will be used as down payment and closing cost assistance to support three home purchasers.
