Abell Foundation Announces Search for New President and CEO

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 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 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

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

$10,000 / 2007 / Environment
Two grants in support of the 2007 and 2008 Environmental Legislative Summits.

Audubon Maryland-DC

$32,000 / 2007 / Environment
For continued support of educational services at the Audubon Center in Patterson Park. Joint programming with the Friends of Patterson Park is helping to change the perception of safety issues in the park and continuing to increase the overall visitation and use of the park. Working closely with neighboring schools, Audubon offers in-classroom curricula and integrates into the program Maryland Content Standards, field trips, and end-of-year service projects for elementary, middle, and high school students. After-school programming offers a 15-week series for third-grade through fifth-grade students to learn about bird biology.

American Farmland Trust

$35,000 / 2007 / Environment
For staffing costs and related expenses to facilitate the implementation of recommendations set out in Maryland’s Statewide Plan for Agricultural Policy and Resource Management, and to build support for proposed reforms of the 2007 Farm Bill. The Trust will continue to provide community outreach and bridge farming communities with the environmental community, promote a more viable and sustaining agriculture economy in Maryland, help open greater access to fresh and locally grown food to local markets, and work toward tripling the protected acreage of productive farmland by 2022.

1000 Friends of Maryland

$20,000 / 2007 / Environment
Challenge grant for continued support of staffing and expenses related to the Partners for Open Space campaign, to ensure full funding for Program Open Space. The campaign will also ensure that Program Open Space funds are spent strategically through the development of targeted and ranked priorities: 1) discussion of the transfer tax revenues for new programs, such as operating needs of state parks and forests; and 2) the need to engage in a public debate about the important role of open space and ongoing protection of the state’s natural resources.

Vehicles for Change, Inc.

$57,600 / 2007 / Workforce Development
Ninth-year funding for the continuation of an initiative to provide 48 donated reconditioned and Maryland-inspected cars to low-income persons in Baltimore City. Partnering with community-based organizations, Vehicles for Change enables individuals to drive to work and transport their families to essential destinations.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.