Youth Baltimore Uprise, Fiscally Sponsored by Bmore Empowered Inc.
$10,000 / 2020 / Education
Youth Baltimore Uprise (YBU) is a nonprofit, mentoring organization operating in West Baltimore. The program is targeted at building leadership, social awareness, and social emotional skills for thirty middle school aged youth who live in the Sandtown/Winchester neighborhood. The mentorship component of Youth Baltimore Uprise entails regular connections between the six founding members and the thirty students they support. Student participants will regularly have guest speakers addressing a range of topics. Each month, students participate in a field trip, providing an opportunity for hands on learning outside of the community.
Youth Empowered Society, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Philanthropy Network
$40,000 / 2020 / Health and Human Services
Opened in 2012, the YES Drop-In Center serves unaccompanied homeless youth ages 14 to 25, offering counseling, peer support, connections to resources and a safe place for the youth to meet their basic needs. YES staff and partner agencies provide employment counseling and job placement support; assistance accessing housing and public benefits; case management; tutoring; health care; pro bono legal services; and parenting support. In FY 2020, the YES Center served 201 youth. This grant supports the centers operations.
Baltimore Community Lending, Inc.
$87,500 / 2020 / Community Development
Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) is an intermediary lender under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Microloan Programs. The foundation will provide the balance of matching funding to create a 15 percent loan loss reserve to launch the program. In supporting the small business assistance infrastructure in Baltimore City, the first year’s SBA Microloan fund of $750,000 is expected to fund loan amounts between $10,000 and $50,000 to between 15 to 75 small businesses, with special outreach to Black-owned businesses and businesses owned by people of color in Baltimore City.
Baltimore Corps
$50,000 / 2020 / Community Development
Baltimore Corps supports Baltimore City’s social innovation sector by recruiting and deploying mission-driven young professionals to Baltimore City’s public agencies and social sector organizations. Kiva-Baltimore will target Black-owned small-business and micro-enterprise operating in Baltimore City and struggling to survive the economic collapse due to COVID-19. Grant funds will be used to support staff costs to meet expansion needs and increased demand from small and micro-business for ongoing advice and consultation through the Kiva-Baltimore platform.
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.
