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.
First-time applicants with grant requests greater than $10,000 should submit a short letter of inquiry prior to submitting a regular grant application. For guidance on what to include in your LOI, please reference our frequently asked questions.
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.
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.
Log into the grant portal below to return to your saved application or submit a report for a previously awarded grant.
I AM MENtality is a mentoring and youth development program for boys and young men in Baltimore City. This grant supports the I AM MENtality Leadership Development Academy, its community-based program in the Irvington and Liberty Heights neighborhoods, which provides group-based and individual mentoring to youth and their families.
Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc. (HNI) is a citywide initiative that promotes investment in “middle Neighborhoods” through resident engagement, a focus on promoting neighborhood assets, and investment in housing stock. HNI serves 49 neighborhoods across the City. This grant provided support for core program activities and expansion to other neighborhoods.
Springboard Community Services provides mental health and case management services to families and youth throughout Central Maryland who have been impacted by trauma. This grant provides capital support for the creation of a new youth resource center in Springboard’s main office building in Baltimore City.
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) works with the Port of Baltimore, one of the City’s largest and most concentrated sources of emissions, to reduce air pollution associated with freight and cargo transportation. EDF’s capable science and policy staff bring data analysis and evaluation skills, environmental information sharing, and best practice emissions reduction and clean energy implementation from their work with ports across the country.
Energy Justice Network (EJN) supports grassroots communities threatened by polluting energy and waste technologies through grassroots strategy and organizing support, research, and innovative mapping. EJN believes there is an opportunity in Baltimore to make productive use of recycled glass through the development of a social enterprise model that will generate revenue and create jobs for its Glass Recovery and Sustainable Systems (GRASS) initiative. GRASS intends to recover used bottles from restaurants and residences and resell them to local breweries, or reform the glass into new pieces – products like cups, plates, vases, and more for sale. This grant provided support for staff costs associated with social enterprise model development.
Header photo courtesy of Thread.