Neighborhood Design Center
Build Together is a new Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) initiative to partner with community groups in three neighborhoods – Johnston Square, Broadway East and Midway in East Baltimore – to scope and implement small-scale design interventions such as signage and wayfinding, seating, streetscaping, sculpture and other open space enhancements. With priority given to designers who have been historically underrepresented in the design field, NDC will commission three emerging community designers, selected through an open call, to collaborate with the neighborhood groups to develop and fabricate functional design pieces.
National Aquarium, Inc.
The National Aquarium’s mission is to build public awareness of the importance of clean water and the threats facing oceans and waterways. The Aquarium is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top three aquariums, housing 20,000 fishes and animals in award-winning habitats. As Maryland’s largest paid tourist attraction, the Aquarium is an economic driver for Baltimore City and state. After 40 years on Baltimore’s Harbor waterfront, the Aquarium is undertaking an $8 million project to replace the glass in the iconic Rain Forest pyramid roof.
Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering
The Baltimore Healthcare Innovator Retention Program fellowship stipends enable talented Johns Hopkins University biomedical engineering students to continue working on promising healthcare innovations after they complete their graduate studies. These teams of Fellows operative as virtual startups creating commercially viable products, seeking follow-on funding, and creating new companies. The program maximizes the translation of discovery and invention from the University biomedical program into income-generating companies which have the potential to generate local employment and address critical healthcare challenges.
Civil Justice, Inc.
Civil Justice expands legal services to clients of low and moderate income while promoting a network of solo, small and community-based lawyers who share a common commitment to increasing access to justice. It is a common practice that, after evicting tenants who fall behind on rent, landlords will later sue those same tenants for prospective rent and alleged damages, as well as unlawfully withhold security deposits. These suits result in millions of dollars in judgments against tenants each year in Baltimore City and further destabilize tenant households. With Abell funding, Civil Justice will address aggressive landlord debt collection suits against tenants, serving 50 households and preventing judgments totaling $100,000 either through in-house counsel or through their referral network.
Betamore
Betamore provides mentorship, skills based education and training, and flexible term office space. It provides its members with direct access to a knowledge pipeline of leaders and businesses that provide real world solutions to their growing business issues. The Betamore Academy will provide participants with direct access to the education, training, and robust network of employers needed to launch into a new career as entry-level software developers. This grant will support costs associated with the launch of this new Betamore Academy offering.