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.
NPower, Inc.
In 2016, with support from the Abell Foundation and others, NPower replicated its IT training program for low-income young adults in Baltimore. NPower’s core training program begins with 15 weeks of classroom instruction that prepares participants for industry certifications. The academic portion focuses on teaching fundamental IT skills, including operating systems, servers, network security, and databases. In addition to receiving instruction and certification in CompTIA A+, students are now receiving instruction and certifications in Cloud Computing, Linux systems administration, network administration, and Windows Server Administration. Following the classroom instruction, NPower participants enter a seven-week paid internship at a local employer, working four days per week, while one day is spent in professional development activities in the classroom. In the coming year, NPower plans to enroll 150 low-income young adults into training, graduating 120 and placing 102 into employment.
Public Justice Center, Inc.
Public Justice Center (PJC) is leading a multi-year campaign to research and advocate for changes in rental laws and processes that limit tenant rights and deny due process. Their “Justice Diverted” report demonstrated through tenant surveys and court case analysis the imbalance between treatment of tenant rights and landlord obligations by judges in Baltimore City’s “Rent Court” in the District Court. PJC provides legal advice and representation to tenants, pursues high impact litigation, and works with the judiciary to raise public awareness around the need for increased access to legal counsel and higher rental housing habitability standards.
ReBuild Metro
For over a decade, ReBUILD Metro (formerly TRF Development Partners) has been building market stabilizing affordable housing in East Baltimore to create opportunity and wealth for low-income residents. The organization renovates vacant houses and builds new product for rent and for sale through their partnership with BUILD and local churches, sustaining both local construction jobs and small contractor businesses. This spring and summer seasons yielded unusually heavy rains, straining the existing roofing system of their headquarter building and cutting short its expected useful life. Funds will be used for roof repair and replacement to stabilize the building and enable a top floor office expansion.
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.