Southwest Partnership
Southwest Partnership is a partnership of seven neighborhoods and six anchor institutions formed to focus on community redevelopment while preserving the uniqueness of these communities. The former Lord Baltimore Theater, is an iconic building along the historic retail strip that SWP has targeted for redevelopment as a cultural arts/education center. This grant provided support for a consultant to develop financing structure for redevelopment of the Theater, and assist SWP with the establishment of a nonprofit organization to oversee the property.
Sisters Circle
Sisters Circle, founded in 2000, is a long-term mentoring program for girls, with a primary focus on young women of color. Participants enter the program in cohorts of 30 during their 6th grade from Commodore John Rodgers, Henderson Hopkins, and City Springs elementary schools, and are paired with a cadre of caring mentors who commit to a minimum of 10 years. Sisters Circle supports these students as they transition to several high schools, colleges, and job training/certification programs, and provides opportunities to engage in programs that consist of academic readiness, summer internships, college prep, and career exploration.
Roberta’s House, Inc.
Roberta’s House provides grief education, counseling and support through group programs for children, teens, families, and individual adults suffering from the death of a loved one. This grant supported the construction of a three-story 21,000 square foot bereavement center to replace 11 vacant properties on the 900 block of East North Avenue. The new center will include art activity rooms, a theater, a large family gathering area, a game room, an expression room, conference rooms, administrative offices, workstations and a resource library.
MERIT Health Leadership Academy
MERIT, founded in 2011 by a TFA City teacher, is now a comprehensive academic and career mentorship program supporting Baltimore City public school students who aspire to careers in medicine. MERIT scholars take advanced academic classes on Saturdays, work in hospitals and lab during paid summer internships, and receive long-term college and career mentorship. Serving over 300 talented students as early as 8th grade, MERIT can boast that 96% of its participants enroll in 4-year colleges with an aim of 90% college completion. The current Abell award will specifically support the college-prep and pre-med curriculum development for Baltimore’s aspiring health professionals in MERIT’s 8th grade through College program.
Maryland Dental Action Coalition, Inc.
The Maryland Dental Action Coalition (MDAC) is a statewide dental access advocacy group. In 2018, MDAC and other groups successfully advocated for the creation of a pilot project to provide comprehensive dental benefits to Maryland adutls who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. MDAC is launching a collaborative of professionals from the dental, health and social services sectors to provide support and guidance to the Maryland Department of Health as it implements the Medicaid adult dental pilot project. This grant supports the collaborative.