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.
Open Works
Open Works is an engine for grassroots economic development especially in the manufacturing sector and will actively support memberships, studio rentals, and revenue from classes and other programming once conditions are safe enough to resume those revenue generating activities. While Open Works has moved forward with a ramp up of PPE production, and will receive payment via local hospitals for those items, a number of ongoing expenses that were typically funded with membership fees or other revenue are not currently supported with that revenue. This grant provided general operating support for the organization.
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.
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 unlwafully 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 increase its capacity to address aggressive landlord debt collection suits against tenants, serving 50 households in the first year either through in-house counsel or through their referral network.
Emerging Technology Centers, Inc.
In 2020, the Emerging Technology Center will competitively select up to five companies to participate in the ninth cohort of Accelerate Baltimore. The technology and innovation incubation program includes 13-weeks of hands-on instruction and workshops, access to mentors, connections to potential partners and investors, and free office space at the ETC in East Baltimore to help entrepreneurs overcome technical issues, navigate changing markets and address financial challenges to boost commercialization of new products and services. The grant supports administrative costs and initial seed funding of $50,000 to each team judged to have the greatest potential for growth.