Read our 2024 Annual Report

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

See Our Past Grants

B-SPIRIT-A2Y

$40,000 / 2008 / Health and Human Services
For continued support of after-school tutoring and mentoring programs for at-risk students in the Park Heights Community, and for operating expenses to provide utilities, insurance, and security monitoring for a newly renovated and expanded after-school facility. Located in one of the poorest and most distressed neighborhoods in Baltimore City, B-Spirit-A2Y offers an opportunity for 50 children and adolescents to engage in tutoring, homework support, community service projects, organized games, and sporting events in a safe and nurturing environment.

Anne Arundel County Food & Resource Bank, Inc.

$5,000 / 2008 / Health and Human Services
For repair of the food bank’s only commercial refrigeration unit, allowing the food bank to continue to distribute perishable, nutritious food to an increasing number of people in need.

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Maryland, Inc.

$150,000 / 2008 / Health and Human Services
For continued support of the Regional Housing Equity Project. The purpose of the project is to provide more than 6,000 families the opportunity to move from racially isolated public housing units in Baltimore City to nonimpacted, low-poverty, racially integrated neighborhoods throughout the region that offer greater education, employment, and housing opportunities.

Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY)

$60,000 / 2008 / Health and Human Services
Toward continued support of programming designed to improve quality of life for Baltimore City children. As part of the “Maryland Can Do Better for Children” campaign, ACY provides research-based recommendations for strategies to meet the needs of Maryland’s children, including the implementation of the Family Team Decision Making model to help reduce the number of foster care placements; the promotion of bonuses to attract strong school principals; support for community-based programs such as Multi-Systemic Therapy and Functional Family Therapy, which have been shown to reduce recidivism; and expansion of oral health care for children on Medicaid.

University of Maryland Baltimore County

$18,151 / 2008 / Education
In continuing support of an evaluation of the Core Knowledge Preschool Program at St. Vincent de Paul Southeast Head Start centers. The evaluation measures the effectiveness of the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence in the areas of language development and early literacy, math reasoning and number sense, social skills, visual arts, music, and readiness to learn. The sample of Southeast Head Start Center children, 70 percent of whom are Spanish speaking, will be compared with a control group, half of whom are Hispanic. Once the children enter kindergarten, follow-up studies will track the academic progress of the two groups.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.