Baltimore Community Lending, Inc.
In 2018, Baltimore Community Lending created Baltimore Business Lending to assist in the creation and growth of small businesses in Baltimore City. Securing capital and business assistance remain the greatest challenges for Baltimore City entrepreneurs looking to start and grow new businesses, especially among those who have been disenfranchised historically. An Abell grant for business lending operations and marketing, as well as a partial guarantee of loan losses will enable Baltimore Business Lending to loan $1.25 million and create and retain jobs.
Public Justice Center, Inc.
Public Justice Center is leading a multi-year campaign to advocate for changes in laws and practices that limit tenants’ rights and deny due process to tenants in Baltimore City’s Rent Court. In a December 2015 report on evictions in Baltimore entitled “Justice Diverted,” PJC documented the high rate of evictions in Baltimore City, where more than one in 17 renter households is evicted each year. This grant supports PJC’s Rent Court Reform and Eviction Prevention Initiative, which employs a combination of litigation, administrative advocacy, and legislative advocacy to advance the rights of tenants in Baltimore.
PCs for People
Based in St. Paul, MN, PCs for the People also operates in Cleveland, OH, and Denver, CO, and is expanding to Baltimore. The organization will launch its efforts to increase educational opportunity and achievement, career readiness, and employment by providing low or no-cost refurbished computers, mobile internet access for $25/month, technological training, repair and troubleshooting services to low income residents in Baltimore City. This grant provides support for local launch staffing and related costs.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, Inc.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore (NHS) serves 800 households annually through its homeownership counseling and financial coaching programs. NHS deploys down payment assistance awards, raises additional capital toward an ongoing revolving DPA fund, increases access to affordable homeownership for borrowers that face challenges accessing traditional affordable mortgage products, and attracts new home buyers to Baltimore City. This grant provides support for staff positions associated with deployment of those funds, housing counseling, and financial coaching, and targeted community outreach.
Maryland Farmers Market Association
The Maryland Farmers Market Association’s Maryland Market Money Program was launched in 2013 in response to interest from Maryland Farmers who were interested in serving as sites for healthy food access but found it difficult to independently access federal nutrition benefits incentive programs via SNAP/EBT system. This grant supports related staff costs and outreach expenses targeted at 10 Baltimore City farmers markets.