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.
Baltimore’s Promise, Fiscally Sponsored by Fund for Educational Excellence
$275,000 / 2020 / Education
The Summer Funding Collaborative (SFC) is an aligned fund that directs resources to high-quality summer programs for low-income children in Baltimore City. In 2020, the SFC included 13 public and private funders that, collectively, distributed $3.5 million to 74 programs, funding a projected 9,500 seats. This grant includes funding for between 15-20 nonprofit organizations that will be determined in late winter 2021 through the SFC’s request for proposals as well as a fee for Baltimore’s Promise, the SFC’s administrative backbone.
Baltimore Re-Entry Resources, Inc., Return Home Baltimore
$21,750 / 2020 / Criminal Justice and Addiction
Baltimore Re-Entry Resources, Inc. created a reentry website, returnhome.org, to provide accessible information about critical reentry services such as healthcare, housing, jobs, treatment, etc. The website is targeted to returning citizens from Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Funding from the Abell Foundation will support two enhancements to the website: 1. Adding a geo location feature so that a map will appear on each resource’s page and tie into bus schedules; and 2. Providing ongoing web scraping to ensure that the website always has the latest, most accurate information.
Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC)
$200,000 / 2020 / Education
BERC pursues long- and short-term data analysis and research, and subsequently interprets and shares the findings with Baltimore City Public Schools, community leaders, and other stakeholders. This grant will strengthen BERC’s core operating budget, which will support the onboarding of a new executive director and maintain the robust data archives that are the foundation of BERC’s work.
Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, Fiscally Sponsored by Digital Harbor Foundation
$50,000 / 2020 / Community Development
The Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition (BDEC) was formed in March 2020 to help provide digital access for those without in Baltimore in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns and closures. To date, this volunteer-led effort has focused its efforts in four areas: (1) access to devices; (2) greater Internet connectivity; (3) digital skills training and support; and (4) advocacy. While volunteers continue to be engaged and committed to the Coalition’s goals and priorities, the Coalition’s work demands are steadily growing and requires dedicated staff time. Grant funds will be used to support costs associated with the hiring of a full time staff position to expand the capacity and elevate the work of the coalition.
