Grants

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.

Learn More About Our Process

Eligibility and Review Criteria

For all nonprofit organizations seeking grant funding, regardless of the request amount. 

Small Grants Process

For grant requests of $10,000 or less.

Reviewed on a rolling basis. There is no deadline to apply.

Regular Grants Process

For grant requests greater than $10,000.

Reviewed at one of the Foundation’s five annual Board meetings.

Submit an Application

Considering Applying for a Small Grant?

If you have never received an Abell small grant (requests of $10,000 or less), you must attend an information session to confirm fit with eligibility criteria and funding priorities prior to submitting a small grant application. 

Sign up for an info session

Considering Applying for a Regular Grant?

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.

Submit an LOI

Ready to Apply?

If you are a returning applicant or have met our eligibility criteria and requirements and are ready to apply for a grant, you may do so on the apply page.

Start a Grant Application

Returning to a Saved Application or Submitting a Report?

Log into the grant portal below to return to your saved application or submit a report for a previously awarded grant.

Return to Your Application or Submit a Report

See Our Past Grants

A New Faith Community

$8,000 / 2010 / Workforce Development
Toward renovation costs for expansion of the Clay Pots Tutoring Center, an adult literacy and GED program for residents of West Baltimore. The community wellness center/coffee house serves as a safe, inviting center for continuing education classes preparing candidates for GEDs and English as a Second Language, as well as for employment in visual arts and music.

A Step Forward, Inc.

$5,000 / 2010 / Criminal Justice and Addiction
Toward assistance with the payment of utility bills and a matching requirement for a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator in support of a transitional housing facility serving homeless men and women who suffer from substance addiction, along with challenging issues such as financial deprivation, mental health, past incarceration, and unemployment.

ACLU Foundation of Maryland, Inc.

$50,000 / 2010 / Education
For continued support of the Baltimore City Education Reform Project, designed to ensure that schools serving disadvantaged students receive equal funding and resources. This strategy includes education, community organizing, advocacy efforts, and lawsuits.

Adopt A Block, Inc. ﾠ

$5,000 / 2010 / Community Development
Toward renovation costs of a house in East Baltimore as part of the week-long Compassion Commission Project. This summer program brings together more than 200 youth from the East Coast to participate in a week of volunteering committed to rebuilding an abandoned rowhouse, cleaning up alleys and neighborhood streets, and painting recreation centers and public schools.

Alternative Directions, Inc.

$44,280 / 2010 / Workforce Development
Toward funding of child-support modification workshops in Maryland Correctional Institutions. The purpose of the program is to increase the number of child-support modifications filed by the incarcerated in an effort to reduce the amount of arrearages to which persons are entitled under Maryland law. The staff continues to work with the Maryland Child Support Enforcement Administration and courts to simplify the support medication forms, develop new outreach materials and methods, and ensure that motions filed are effective at bringing about payment modifications.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.