The Baltimore Hunger Project has received a three-year $150,000 grant to deepen its impact, one of only 10 organizations nationwide to be chosen by the Maximus Foundation for the award.
The foundation, celebrating 25 years of impact, launched an initiative focused on helping nonprofits that alleviate food insecurity.
Baltimore Hunger Project is in its eleventh year. The organization’s mission is to remove barriers to learning by giving food and other resources to children facing food insecurity in the Baltimore community. They discreetly send food home in children’s backpacks on Friday afternoons to ensure they don’t go hungry over the weekend.
The Maximus Foundation began in 2000 with a mission to partner with communities to strengthen the social fabric across the nation. In that time, it has awarded more than 3,000 grants totaling over $17 million to nonprofits taking on everything from housing insecurity to youth mentorship to disaster relief, healthcare access, and food insecurity.
To mark its 25th anniversary, the foundation is issuing up to $2 million in grants to fuel transformative, long-term impact. Based on feedback from Maximus staff, the giving this year prioritizes food insecurity. The money will support organizations that change lives directly feeling the pain of hunger and poverty.
In 2025, Maximus staff gave direct input into choosing the 10 nonprofit organizations that have been awarded the three-year Impact Grants of $150,000. The award is meant to help each group deepen their impact and explore creative solutions to food insecurity. The funding reflects each community’s true on-the-ground needs.
Additionally, 50 nonprofits focused on a variety of other priorities, such as reducing houselessness, inspiring youth potential, and healthcare access will each receive $10,000 grants for advancing their community-driven solutions.
“This new chapter is about more than funding programs – it’s about fueling transformational impact as partners,” said Dr. Arvenita Washington Cherry, president and chairperson of Maximus Foundation, in a statement. “By listening to the voices of our colleagues and partnering with organizations addressing urgent needs, we are helping remove systemic barriers and creating pathways to healthier, more resilient communities.”
Baltimore Hunger Project was founded in November 2014 by Lynne B. Kahn, starting as a grassroots effort to serve just 30 children in two elementary schools. It now serves more than 2,200 children across the greater Baltimore area. The nonprofit works closely with school social workers and guidance counselors at each partner school to sensitively and discreetly identify students and families in need of food.
“We ensure that children can maintain their dignity and privacy while receiving the critical nourishment they need,” reads the Baltimore Hunger Project website. “Beyond feeding children, these weekend food packages provide relief to struggling families, helping to ease their financial burdens during challenging times.”
“We are deeply honored to be among just ten organizations nationwide recognized by the Maximus Foundation,” Kahn told Baltimore Fishbowl. “This investment strengthens our ability to remove barriers to learning by ensuring children have reliable access to nutritious food over the weekend. Together, we’re helping kids return to school on Monday nourished, confident, and ready to thrive.”
