Baltimore City is awarding $2 million of grant funds to 69 Baltimore nonprofit organizations to help them rebound from the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Brandon Scott and the Baltimore Civic Fund announced on Monday.
The grants, which are part of the 2021 Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund, will be used to reimburse nonprofits for unexpected costs they have already incurred due to the pandemic, as well as to address future needs related to COVID-19.
“As our nonprofit organizations continue to keep Baltimoreans afloat through this pandemic, I am proud that we are able to reciprocate the support,” Scott said in a statement. “This round of funding will supplement our economic recovery efforts and help these important organizations plan ahead and continue their services to support our residents as we continue to navigate the effects of COVID-19.”
The 2021 Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund is the second round of coronavirus relief funding being invested in Baltimore nonprofits in the past year, following the city’s disbursement of its first round of funds to 124 organizations in December 2020.
The Baltimore Civic Fund serves as the administrator and steward of the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund. It is working with the city and state governments to distributing funding ton nonprofits located in Baltimore City or that serve city residents.
Nonprofits that applied were eligible for up to $50,000 in grants from the relief fund.
“The Baltimore Civic Fund is proud to provide these critical grants to support Baltimore nonprofit organizations as the pandemic continues to impact core services and livelihoods,” HyeSook Chung, president of the Baltimore Civic Fund, said in a statement. “We know the need is great and look forward to continuing to work with the City of Baltimore to find creative ways to support our nonprofit community and Baltimore residents.”
The 69 nonprofit organizations that are receiving grants in this round of funding include a “diverse group, providing services for Baltimore residents that range from food access and workforce readiness to community development and digital access,” city officials said.
The $2 million in grants that are being awarded comes from a portion of the federal American Rescue Plan funds that were allotted to Maryland.
One of the grant awardees is Black Girls Cook, which teaches culinary and gardening skills to adolescent girls between the ages of 8 and 15 in Baltimore. The nonprofit prioritizes those living in food deserts and under-invested communities, according to the organization’s website.
“The pandemic forced Black Girls Cook to shift our programming to a virtual setting, sending groceries and supplies to each girl’s home,” Nichole A. Mooney, founder and executive director of Black Girls Cook, said in a statement. “The Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund will help ensure our programming is equitable and accessible, while serving our mission of teaching adolescent girls of color self-actualization and life skills through the use of culinary arts and edible gardening with an emphasis on Black Foodways.”
The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), another grant recipient, aims to improve “health, economic and social outcomes for low-income communities of color” by making homes healthier, safer and more energy efficient, the organization says on its website.
“COVID-19 has impacted many revenue sources for non-profit organizations and the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund provides critical gap funding to allow the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative to continue to provide direct services for low-income families in Baltimore City, “ GHHI President and CEO Ruth Ann Norton said in a statement. “The needs of the Baltimore community for lead hazard reduction, asthma and household injury prevention, Aging in Place, weatherization and food delivery services have only increased during the pandemic and this funding helps GHHI meet those needs for our most vulnerable families during this crisis.”
The 69 nonprofit organizations that will be receiving grants through the 2021 Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund include:
10:12 Sports
Adelante Latina!
Alpha Zeta Chapter Myrtle Tyler Faithful Fund
Arts Every Day
Bach in Baltimore
Baltimore Bar Foundation, Inc.
Baltimore Collegetown Network
Baltimore Improv Group
Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women
Baltimore Medical System, Inc.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Banner Neighborhoods Community Corporation
Bikemore
Black Girls Cook
Bmore Empowered
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc.
Charles Street Development Corporation
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
Dayspring Programs Inc
DewMore Baltimore
Farm Alliance of Baltimore
Food Rescue Baltimore
FreeState Justice
Gaudenzia, Inc.
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Inc.
Hatzalah of Baltimore
House of Ruth Maryland
Immigration Outreach Service Center
Let’s Thrive Baltimore
Make Studio Art Program, Inc.
Mariposa Education
Market Center Merchants Association
Maryland Art Place
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
Maryland Nonprofits
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Maryland Youth and the Law, Inc. (MYLaw)
Middle Grades Partnership
Mount Saint Joseph’s College, Incorporated
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore
New Song Community Learning Center
Nexus-Woodbourne Family Healing
NPower Inc.
Open Works, Inc.
Outcast Food Network
PCs for People Maryland
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law)
Rebuilding Together Baltimore
Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures, Inc.
SCRAP B-More
Single Carrot Theatre
Sisters Saving The City
St. Francis Neighborhood Center Corporation
Station North Tool Library
STEM Champions of Baltimore, Inc.
Strand Theater Company
Tahirih Justice Center
The Baltimore Museum of Art
The Family Tree
The Growth Center: A Feminist Counseling Collective
The Ingenuity Project, Inc.
The Pro Bono Counseling Project
The Walters Art Museum Foundation, Inc.
Ulman Foundation
Whitelock Community Farm
World Relief Baltimore
Your Public Radio Corp WYPR Radio
Youth Empowered Society (YES)
