Past Grants

Baltimore Kids Chess League, Inc.

For expenses related to the 2005-2006 Baltimore City Public School System Chess Education Project, an after-school program serving elementary school students in 30 schools. The long-term strategy is designed to increase the number of after-school chess clubs, provide chess instruction to teachers and coaches, sponsor chess activities in the community, and sponsor Baltimore students at competitive regional and national tournaments.

New Leaders for New Schools

For support of the New Leaders-Baltimore program, designed to recruit principals for Baltimore City public schools. New Leaders will train eight to ten prospective principals during six weeks of course work at the Summer Foundations Institute. Each will participate in a year-long, full-time residency, serving alongside a mentor principal. Once placed as a principal, each participant will receive two years of coaching and support.

The Baraka School, Inc.

For expenses associated with maintaining the school property in Kenya, East Africa. The Baraka School, now closed, was a boarding school serving underachieving Baltimore City middle school boys.

The New Teacher Project

For support of the Baltimore Model School Staffing Project, established to ensure early recruitment of qualified teachers in the city’s lowest performing schools. By working closely with the Baltimore City Public School System’s Department of Human Resources and individual school principals, the New Teacher Project will help schools learn of retirements and resignations in advance, connect new candidates with lowest performing schools, maximize schools’ interviewing/selection skills, and operate with a policy of holding schools accountable for hiring.

Community Law In Action, Inc.

For support of the expansion of Lemmel Academy, an alternative school setting for 150 chronically disruptive middle school students. Each student will have an individualized plan to help build academic, social, and career skills, with an emphasis on communication. The goal of the program is to decrease the number of out-of-school suspensions and the eighth-grade dropout rate.