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

1000 Friends of Maryland

$15,000 / 2009 / Environment
For continued support of staffing and expenses related to the Partners for Open Space campaign, and to advocate for conservation to be a lead legislative issue. With the use of electronic mail, regional polls, a website, and timely media events, the coalition of 155 conservation organizations in Maryland will maintain a voice for protecting open space for parks, preserving agricultural lands, and seeking full funding for Program Open Space.

A Step Forward, Inc.

$23,295 / 2009 / Criminal Justice and Addiction
For completion of renovations for an Oxford Model Housing Project serving eight men recovering from substance abuse. The house, in the Harlem Park community, is a democratically run, self-supporting, and drug-free home for residents planning to live in permanent housing.

A Step Forward, Inc.

$5,000 / 2009 / Criminal Justice and Addiction
For paying utility bills at two transitional housing facilities serving Baltimore City men and women recovering from substance abuse.

ACLU Foundation of Maryland, Inc.

$50,000 / 2009 / Education
For continued support of the Baltimore City Education Reform Project, designed to ensure that schools serving disadvantaged students receive equal funding and resources. The grant will also provide for monitoring of the Baltimore City Public School System’s budget allocations in an effort to assess the impact of increased expenditures on academic achievements.

Adopt A Block, Inc.

$5,000 / 2009 / Community Development
Toward expenses incurred by Compassion Commission, a youth-driven program that assembles 200 youth to participate in a week of volunteering. Projects include renovating a vacant rowhouse, cleanup of alleys and neighborhood streets, community greening, and painting recreation centers and public schools in the Greenmount, Station North, and Oliver Street neighborhoods.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.