Baltimore Kids Chess League, Inc.
Sponsored by the Abell Foundation and Baltimore City Public Schools since 2004, Baltimore Kids Chess League (BKCL) offers an academic extracurricular program that serves more than 150 children from kindergarten to 12th grade in 21 schools. Due to Covid, BKCL has migrated to a new virtual format, using the innovative “Think Like A King” chess software to move students through chess strategy sessions, assigning a chess rating based on each student’s level of play, and effectively matching opponents with an equivalent level of chess skill. Teams practice weekly under the auspices of trained chess coaches and compete in novice, local, state, and national chess tournaments sponsored by the United States Chess Federation.
Baltimore Development Corporation
For Baltimore to both attract Opportunity Zone and other investments and ensure such investments benefit community residents and businesses, the Opportunity Zone and Impact Investment Coordinator provides a valuable resource and competitive advantage to connect investors with projects and to connect projects to critical financing. Baltimore has been nationally recognized as one of the first cities to have a designated point person for the Opportunity Zone program. The grant covers the third year of the Coordinator’s salary.
Baltimore City Department of Planning, Fiscally Sponsored by Civic Works, Inc.
The Baltimore Food Policy Initiative within the Baltimore City Department of Planning will provide mini-grants to grassroots community organizations who are working hard and quickly to fill gaps in Baltimore’s larger emergency food-distribution system as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Funds will be used for food, protective equipment for volunteers and nonprofit employees, transportation and fuel costs to supply food to those who are homebound, elderly, immuno-compromised, and living in poverty, most of whom are unable to access distribution centers, have lost their local pantry program due to COVID closure, or may have a gap without food while, for example, waiting for their Meals on Wheels registration to be processed or for SNAP benefits to be approved.
B-360 STEM Education Program, Fiscally Sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.
B-360 STEM Education is a youth development program that utilizes dirt bike culture to equip youth and young adults with the skills and confidence to pursue STEM opportunities in school and beyond, while also promoting public safety through appropriate dirt bike riding practices. Youth learn and apply engineering theory to build and repair their own dirt bike. This grant provides B-360 with general operating support.
Youth Empowered Society, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Philanthropy Network
The YES drop-in center serves homeless youth ages 14 – 25, providing counseling, peer support, connections to resources, and a safe place for youth to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, laundry facilities, and access to phones and computers, among other things. YES staff and partner agencies provide employment counseling and job placement support; housing assistance; case management; assistance accessing public benefits; access to health care; legal services; and leadership development opportunities. This grant will support the construction and relocation costs associated with the YES Center’s move to a new, larger building that will better meet the needs of the youth it serves.