Baltimore Corps
Baltimore Corps supports Baltimore City’s social innovation sector by recruiting and deploying mission-driven young professionals to Baltimore City’s public agencies and social sector organizations. Kiva-Baltimore will target Black-owned small-business and micro-enterprise operating in Baltimore City and struggling to survive the economic collapse due to COVID-19. Grant funds will be used to support staff costs to meet expansion needs and increased demand from small and micro-business for ongoing advice and consultation through the Kiva-Baltimore platform.
Baltimore Community Lending, Inc.
Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) is an intermediary lender under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Microloan Programs. The foundation will provide the balance of matching funding to create a 15 percent loan loss reserve to launch the program. In supporting the small business assistance infrastructure in Baltimore City, the first year’s SBA Microloan fund of $750,000 is expected to fund loan amounts between $10,000 and $50,000 to between 15 to 75 small businesses, with special outreach to Black-owned businesses and businesses owned by people of color in Baltimore City.
Venture For America
Venture for America strengthens entrepreneurship, business formation, and economic growth by attracting top talent students to work in start-up and early-stage companies. Since 2013, VFA has placed 127 Fellows in Baltimore City for two-year followships with more than 60 high-growth companies and startups, and they have supported the launch of nine Fellow-founded companies. Of 15 participating cities, Baltimore is the second largest program and boasts the second highest post-Fellowship retention rate.
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc.
Water bills rates are increasingly unaffordable for many of Baltimore’s low-income residents. Discount and affordability programs and, most-recently, income-based billing created to help those struggling are generally not well-known within the low-income communities, and the programs can be challenging to access without experienced help. In partnership with Maryland Volunteer Lawyer’s Service, Pro Bono Resource Center will work with Community Action Partner (CAP) centers to assist clients at targeted legal clinics, provide intensive pro bono legal assistance where necessary, and educate the public on the availability of assistance. This grant will provide support for staff costs associated with this work.
Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Fiscally Sponsored by Baltimore Civic Fund
In response to COVID-19, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) in partnership with the Baltimore Civic Fund as a fiscal sponsor, established the Baltimore Immigrant Community Fund (BICF): Emergency Relief for Immigrant Families. Through community partners, the fund will respond to the urgent needs of undocumented immigrant families who are excluded from the CARES Act and other governmental benefits like Unemployment Insurance and SNAP. Grants from the fund are intended to help stabilize household finances and build Baltimore as a welcoming community.