Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc.
This grant supports two of Maryland Citizen’s Health Initiative’s current efforts: 1) The “Easy Enrollment” program, which uses individual tax returns to identify people who are eligible for, but not enrolled in, health insurance, and expand it to unemployment applications; 2) Advocate for the formation of and funding for Health Equity Resource Communities, which would be a state-funded grant program focused on reducing disparities in chronic health.
The Literacy Lab
The Literacy Lab employs a professionalized tutoring workforce that provides one-on-one, small group, and whole group literacy interventions to 690 students annually. A replication of the acclaimed Minnesota Reading Corps, Literacy Lab embeds rigorously trained reading tutors in PreK classrooms and provides 1:1 tutoring in schools to children in Kindergarten through third grade. Literacy Lab tutoring participants are between 1.5 to 5 times as likely to be on grade level than students who started at the same grade level and received no tutoring. Approximately 20% of participating students will achieve literacy benchmarks and end the school year on grade level.
Light of Truth Center, Inc.
The Light of Truth Center has been providing safe, supportive housing to women in recovery since 1999. Funding from the Abell Foundation will support increasing LOT’s clinical staff to align with COMAR requirements for its 3.1 residential program. This will allow LTC to bill for and provide substance abuse treatment in a residential setting.
Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV)
The Social Innovation Lab incubates mission-driven companies and nonprofits to maximize their potential to become thriving sustainable ventures that contribute to increased opportunity in Baltimore. Through a six-month social venture accelerator program, the competitively selected cohort of up to ten entrepreneurs is provided programming sessions, access to an extensive network of advisors, one-on-one coaching, co-working space, and $1,000 in unrestricted funding.
Jews United for Justice
Jews United For Justice (JUFJ) educates and mobilizes its network of over 2,000 members in the Baltimore area to participate in advocacy campaigns on a variety of social justice issues. Building on work JUFJ has done over the past three years to advocate for renters’ rights in Baltimore, this grant will support JUFJ to work with other coalitions and organizations, including the Public Justice Center and Baltimore Renters United, to advocate for strengthening legal protections for renters in Baltimore City.