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?

First-time applicants with grant requests greater than $10,000 should reach out to an Abell staff member to discuss their idea or submit a short letter of inquiry prior to submitting a regular grant application.

Contact Us or Email Us an LOI

Ready to Apply for a Small Grant?

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.

Start a Small Grant Application

Ready to Apply for a Regular 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.

Start a Regular Grant Application

Returning to a Saved Application or Submitting a Report?

Log into the grant portal below to return to a saved application or submit a report for a previously awarded grant. Report forms can be found under the “Requirements” tab.

Return to Your Application or Submit a Report

See Our Past Grants

Community College of Baltimore County Foundation

$75,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
Toward support of a job-training program for 70 ex-offenders and homeless persons at the Our Daily Bread Employment Center in Baltimore City. This program will focus on training and job placement in commercial truck driving and building maintenance.

Center for Urban Families

$400,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
For continued support of STRIVE Baltimore, a job training and placement service for unemployed and/or underemployed men and women. In a three-week intensive workshop focusing on job readiness, the STRIVE model emphasizes attitudinal training, job placement, post-placement support, one-on-one and group counseling, parenting skills, and case management.

CASA of Maryland, Inc .

$100,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
For continued support of the Baltimore Worker Employment Center for day laborers and low-income workers. The formal hiring center offers a safe and organized way of helping workers find jobs, helping them to avoid waiting on street corners to be hired. Each month, the center aims to place 300 workers into temporary jobs, and 10 workers into permanent jobs, all paying a living wage. In addition, CASA provides identification cards to those who register with them and helps to solve legal problems, such as recovering lost wages.

Business Interface, Inc.

$75,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
To provide tuition assistance for the warehouse associate job training program for 21 low-income, ex-offender minority males in Baltimore City. The program calls for a four-week training program in basic computer skills to track products, in reading skills to understand where products are retrieved and stored, and in basic math skills. Business Interface finds placement opportunities with local warehouse employers and tracks job retention for a six-month period.

Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare, Inc.

$90,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
For continued support of the Pre-Allied Health Bridge Project and the Career Coaching Program. The alliance was created in response to the lack of requisite basic skills on the part of many entry-level workers applying for the postsecondary training that leads to high paying jobs. The program is designed to help entry-level workers and job seekers to advance in health careers and postsecondary education, by providing them with work-based learning opportunities and math remediation.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.