Adopt A Block, Inc.
The Adopt A Block Compassion Commission program teaches 300 young people ages 11 to 25 to look beyond their lives and be a positive influence to low-income inner-city children and adults. This is achieved through a weeklong series of activities focused in East Baltimore that provide an experience that fosters leadership, promotes volunteerism, and develops an interest in the welfare of others. Adopt A Block will acquire, renovate, and donate a formerly vacant Baltimore City home to a family led by a resident leader in the community in East Baltimore. This grant will support expenses associated with the renovation of the property.
Baltimore Under Ground Science Space
Baltimore Under Ground Science Space (BUGSS) is a nonprofit, community laboratory that brings together people from diverse backgrounds and approaches with the goal of advancing novel scientific, artistic and technological developments. This grant supports BUGSS’ partnership with the Open Insulin Foundation (OIF) in support of OIF’s mission to produce safe, affordable, high quality insulin for people living with diabetes. Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment and to support the salary of an OIF researcher who is conducting research focused on the production and purification of biosimilar insulin. This research will provide essential data that OIF will need to pursue approval of its biosimilar insulin from the Food and Drug Administration. If OIF secures FDA approval of its insulin, it will partner with a Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant laboratory in Baltimore City to produce affordable insulin on a large scale for insulin-dependent people with diabetes.
New Life Food Pantry, Inc.
For the past 25 years, New Life Food Pantry has been offering food and meals at no cost to community members in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic community food insecurity, particularly among the population served by Turning Point, the adjacent substance abuse treatment center, has grown exponentially. The Abell grant will help New Life purchase a commercial-size refrigeration unit to enable them to accept a larger volume of perishable food donations and provide more food to community members.
TurnAround, Inc.
TurnAround provides comprehensive, trauma-informed services to survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual abuse and assault, harassment, and human trafficking in Baltimore City and County. This grant supports TurnAround’s legal services program, which partners with Maryland Legal Aid and other legal service providers to provide legal advice and representation to TurnAround clients. Survivors of sexual assualt and domestic violence often have complex legal needs, and timely access to legal services, coupled with TurnAround’s case management support, increases the likelihood that survivors will obtain needed legal relief.
Teach For America-Baltimore
Teach For America’s organizational mission is to find, develop, and support equity-oriented leaders, to transform education and expand opportunity for children, starting in the classroom. Teach For America Baltimore utilizes a strategy of recruiting a diverse group of leaders from across the nation to commit at least two years of teaching to high needs classrooms. For the 2020-2021 school year, Teach For America seeks to strategically recruit and place 83-92 diverse corps members in difficult to staff teaching positions in low-income schools, alongside providing ongoing support to nearly 1300 alumni leaders working in various roles including principals, non-profit leaders, or other positions with the capacity to impact education throughout the city.