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

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.

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.

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.

Art with a Heart, Inc .

$20,000 / 2008 / Workforce Development
For continued support and expansion of the Summer Job Program of visual arts for at-risk youth in the Rose Street community. The four-week program, designed as job-readiness training and operating five days a week, four hours each day, engages 30 youth in creating 60 pieces of art work, including mosaics and decoupage furniture, to be marketed at Artscape.

Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance

$5,000 / 2008 / Education
For continued support of programs designed to integrate the arts into the curriculum of Maryland’s public schools.

Header photo courtesy of Thread.