The No Boundaries Coalition
No Boundaries Coalition addresses food insecurity, increases availability of fresh produce, and helps limit the transmission of COVID through home delivery in Sandtown and surrounding Central West Baltimore neighborhoods. Grant funding will support operations of their fresh produce stall at Avenue Market, expansion of a buying club for home delivery of food and essential supplies, a salad garden distribution program for residents to grow their own fresh greens at home, and promotion of SNAP benefits.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, Inc.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore (NHS) serves over 800 households annually through its homeownership counseling and financial coaching programs. In 2020, over 450 clients became homeowners. NHS deploys down payment assistance awards, raises additional capital toward an ongoing revolving DPA fund, increases access to affordable homeownership for borrowers that face challenges accessing traditional affordable mortgage products, and attracts new home buyers to Baltimore City. This grant will support staff positions associated with deployment of those funds, housing counseling, and financial coaching, and targeted community outreach.
Neighborhood Design Center
Build Together is a new Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) initiative to partner with community groups in three neighborhoods – Johnston Square, Broadway East and Midway in East Baltimore – to scope and implement small-scale design interventions such as signage and wayfinding, seating, streetscaping, sculpture and other open space enhancements. With priority given to designers who have been historically underrepresented in the design field, NDC will commission three emerging community designers, selected through an open call, to collaborate with the neighborhood groups to develop and fabricate functional design pieces.
National Aquarium, Inc.
The National Aquarium’s mission is to build public awareness of the importance of clean water and the threats facing oceans and waterways. The Aquarium is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top three aquariums, housing 20,000 fishes and animals in award-winning habitats. As Maryland’s largest paid tourist attraction, the Aquarium is an economic driver for Baltimore City and state. After 40 years on Baltimore’s Harbor waterfront, the Aquarium is undertaking an $8 million project to replace the glass in the iconic Rain Forest pyramid roof.
Maryland Food Bank
The Maryland Food Bank (MFB) School Food Pantry Program operates food pantries in schools that serve large populations of families living in poverty. MFB has operated the program since 2005, providing easy access to supplemental food for families facing food insecurity. During the current school year, when most schools are closed, MFB has shifted to a “grab and go” food distribution model, where families can pick up bags of food at participating schools on a monthly basis. The program has also greatly increased the amount of food provided to families during the pandemic, distributing more than twice as much food during the first two quarters of FY 2021 compared to the same period in FY 2020. This grant supports MFB’s Baltimore City School Food Pantry Program.