South Baltimore Partnership
Litter and debris in streets, alleys and stormdrains is a huge problem for many Baltimore neighborhoods and the waste degrades downstream waterways. The trash is polluting and demoralizing for residents, reducing the desirability of the neighborhood and discouraging investment. South Baltimore Partnership’s has conceived of and executed a homegrown program that extends the well-received street cleaning work of summer YouthWorkers throughout the year, employs community members part-time, and measures its progress.
The Gil Sandler Fund, Inc.
Baltimore City College’s Speech and Debate extracurricular program traces its beginnings to 1878. Revitalized in 1997 by Gil Sandler and Abell Foundation funding, The Speech and Debate team has grown into a regional and national powerhouse for preparing up to 70 students annually for competitive colleges, This grant provides a $100,000 contribution to the Speech and Debate endowment fund in honor of the passing of Gilbert Sandler, and two years of operating funding at $25,000 per year.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
With its 135 acres of parkland and habitat for 1,500 animals, the Maryland Zoo is the third oldest zoo in the country, a tremendous asset to Baltimore City and a prime destination for residents and tourists visiting from other parts of the state and beyond. Educating schoolchildren and visitors is the highest priority activity of the zoo and educational programs include Zoo-mobiles, pediatric outreach, pop-up labs, field talks, and nature play. Nearly 95 percent of the animals at the Zoo are endangered species and educational programming complements the Zoo’s conservation and research efforts, offering diverse audiences lessons on science, biology and biodiversity.
The Mission Continues
The Mission continues provides veterans with an outlet for continued service in 55 metropolitan areas. Veteran volunteers work with nonprofit partners and community leaders through its week long Mass Deployment initiative. Baltimore is this year’s Mass Deployment site, with planned projects in the Harlem Park and Brooklyn/Curtis Bay communities. This grant provides support for expenses and equipment associated with this year’s project.
University System of Maryland Foundation
The major thrust of the three-year B-Power initiative is to coordinate, enhance and expand dual enrollment options offered jointly to Baltimore City Schools by University of Baltimore, Coppin, Morgan and Baltimore City High Schools with a goal to serve 525 high school students annually by 2021. In the next 18 months, UB will collaborate with BCCC specifically to improve the access of students to credit coursework in math, adopt UB’s successful 2 semester college readiness course eliminating ACCUPLACER, and improve the quality of instruction. In addition to the already-funded 230 UB dual enrollment seats for 2019-2020, this project will add 60 seats each semester at three new high schools. The grant will also develop a full menu of dual enrollment options at the 4 higher ed institutions by the 2020-2021 school year.