National Center on Institutions and Alternatives
In 2017, the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) opened a vocational training center at 301 S. Center Avenue in Baltimore, providing occupational skills training in automotive repair, Commercial Driver’s License Class B, HVAC (healthing, ventilation, and air conditioning), culinary arts, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) piloting. Abell funding will support NCIA in training 267 SNAP-eligible Baltimore residents, with 200 earning industry-recognized credentials and being placed into jobs with an average starting hourly wage of $17.
Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners
Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners is a financial empowerment and coaching provider that serves low-income workers. Its in-house team of financial coaches specializes in the challenges facing workers today: volatile income, tight cash flow, lack of emergency savings, and burdensome debt. They help clients prioritize savings, take control of their debt, and create a road map to achieving their financial goals. This grant will support staff expenses to assist up to 200 Baltimore individuals affiliated with five Baltimore-based partner organizations.
Patterson Park Audubon Center
Patterson Park Audubon Center leads hands-on activities that connect a multicultural community with nature in an urban setting. It empowers neighbors through action projects to enhance bird habitat and improve quality of life in Baltimore. Bird-Friendly Baltimore is PPAC’s effort to increase bird-friendly infrastructure in Baltimore. It will create bird-friendly buildings and community-based gardens. Up to 1 million migrating birds die each year due to collisions with buildings, especially in dense cities like Baltimore. PPAC’s bird-friendly buildings activities will include: connecting with municipal leaders to explore policy opportunities; establishing relationships with downtown building managers to reduce reflectivity of surfaces, up-lighting, and unnecessary use of lights at night, particularly during migration. PPAC will also work with partners in targeted neighborhoods to explore their interest in bird and butterfly garden development. Two community-centered, bird-friendly gardens will be designed, facilitated, and planted. This grant will support staff costs for the launch of the Bird-Friendly Baltimore initiative.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is the nation’s largest trails and active transportation organization, dedicated to connecting people and places by trail, many from former rail lines. RTC is leading community partners, anchor institutions, and Baltimore City government in the planning and implementation of the 35-mile Baltimore Greenway Trails Network loop, which was formally adopted by the Planning Commission as part of the City’s Green Network Plan in 2018. The Greenway encompasses Baltimore’s downtown area and, when finished, will link more than 75 neighborhoods. This grant will support staff costs and efforts to develop design standards and guidelines for the interconnected parks and trails of the Baltimore Greenway, implement a trail count program, and implement an equitable development planning process now to ensure residents’ needs remain a priority.
The York Road Partnership, Fiscally Sponsored by GEDCO
For many years, the York Road Partnership (YRP) has worked along and across York Road to develop a long-term vision to improve the commercial corridor, reverse the long-term trend of disinvestment, and support adjacent neighborhoods. The corridor is currently characterized by high commercial vacancy and a lack of community-focused retail. Support for an “Invest York Road” initiative will create a crowdfunding tool to raise local, community capital for acquisition, renovation, ownership and leasing of vacant and under-utilized commercial buildings along York Road in Greater Govans.