What We’re Learning

What We’re Learning

We believe that a community of creative problem-solvers, faced with complicated, seemingly intractable challenges, is well-served by thought-provoking, research-based information, and analysis. We support the development and dissemination of research in two ways:

Abell Reports

Abell Reports are commissioned reports by subject matter experts, academics, and investigative journalists that provide studies of selected issues on the public agenda.

Abell-Supported Research

These projects – undertaken with grant funding by academics and nonprofit research and advocacy organizations – advance learning on issues key to Baltimore City.

Featured Reports

Photo by Wide Angle Productions, a social enterprise of Wide Angle Youth Media

2022 Annual Report

Our 2022 Annual Report profiles several of Abell’s grantees, providing a snapshot of the many ways Baltimoreans are working to help their neighbors secure stable housing, better jobs, brighter futures for their children, and for those who need one, a second chance.

Abell-Supported Research – Long-Term Services and Supports in Baltimore

A framework for improving job quality and creating a highly trained direct care and services workforce.

Abell-Supported Research – Whole Blocks, Whole City: Reclaiming Vacant Property Throughout Baltimore

There are nearly 15,000 vacant houses and 20,000 vacant lots in Baltimore City, with many thousands more at risk, the majority of which are found in predominantly Black, low-income neighborhoods. Baltimore can break this cycle of disinvestment through a whole block strategy.

Publications Library

The Costs of Baltimore’s Vacant Housing

Vacant houses, uninhabitable due to abandonment or lack of owner investment, exert a heavy cost on neighborhoods and the City as a whole. This report calculates just how steep the public cost is and provides an economic backdrop for future action.

2021 Annual Report

Our 2021 Annual Report captures a sliver of the diverse, innovative ways Baltimoreans responded to the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic; the deeper, systemic challenges we face as a city; and the opportunity to build on our many strengths.

Investigating the Geothermal Potential of Baltimore

We need to develop sustainable, clean, and affordable sources of energy. Can heat from the Earth’s interior offer a potential solution? This Abell Report examines the science of geothermal energy and evaluates whether it’s a viable alternative for Baltimore.

Evaluating the Cost of Lead Hazard Control and Abatement in Baltimore City

Too many children continue to be exposed to deteriorating lead-based paint in their homes. This Abell report examines what it would take for Baltimore City to tackle the urgent problem of lead paint poisoning.

Solar on Superstores

Big box stores and supermarkets offer optimal locations for solar installations, with potential for rooftop and parking canopy systems to reduce facility energy costs by half while advancing Maryland’s renewable energy and climate goals.

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    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.