Johns Hopkins University & Medicine are handing over the management of the BLocal program to the Greater Baltimore Committee.
BLocal, which provides support for local hiring, procurement, and investment in the Baltimore region, will be combined with the Baltimore Integration Partnership, which promotes economic inclusion within the practices of Baltimore institutions.
“After nearly a decade of leadership, commitment and collaboration, we are pleased to see BLocal advancing into its next phase. Since its inception, our goal was simple: how can we partner together to do better for Baltimore? We’re proud to have played a role in its beginnings and are equally proud to support the transition alongside GBC as we continue our commitment as a BLocal member institution,” said Maria Harris Tildon, Vice President of Government, Community and Economic Partnerships for Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, in a statement.
“BIP and BLocal demonstrated the transformative impact that business-led, place-based investments can make when done with intention and collaboration,” said Mark Anthony Thomas, President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, in a statement. “GBC’s role as the region’s hub for economic development makes us uniquely positioned to lead this organization’s next chapter—aligning partners, policy and capital to deepen opportunity and prosperity for Baltimore’s communities.”
Hopkins first launched HopkinsLocal in 2015 to support economic growth in Baltimore. The idea was expanded into the BLocal program, which Hopkins has co-led since 2016.
In the first three years of BLocal, which was originally co-chaired by Hopkins and BGE, the program committed more than $69 million worth of investment in Baltimore businesses and residents.
From 2016 to 2021, BLocal’s 24 partners spent more than $1.4 billion for goods and services from local businesses. In that same period, the partners hired more than 4,000 Baltimore residents.
The Baltimore Integration Partnership was established in 2011 with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and other philanthropic partners. Baltimore anchor institutions, government stakeholders, funders and nonprofits came together through the partnership with the goal of advancing economically inclusive institutional practices.
The Greater Baltimore Committee will take on a feasibility study, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to guide the future of the combined BLocal and Baltimore Integration Partnership.
The study will be led in partnership with an independent consultant. In its first six months, the study will focus on the “hire local” initiative, and the Greater Baltimore Committee plans to address three other pillars, “Buy Local, Invest Local, and Live Local,” in future years.
The Greater Baltimore Committee plans to release the findings of the feasibility study in early 2026 and relaunch BLocal afterwards. Interested parties can submit a proposal for consideration by clicking on this link.
Part of the committee’s agenda includes bolstering local hiring pipelines, supporting small and locally-owned businesses, and improving access to economic opportunity.
“GBC serves as a strong and respected independent table and is well positioned to engage major employers, anchor institutions, government stakeholders, workforce partners and the small business community to understand current and future hiring and purchasing needs,” said Kurt Sommer, former Director of the Baltimore Integration Partnership and now Executive Director of the West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation at LifeBridge Health. “In turn, GBC can work with partners to establish new processes, programs, and policies to better prepare Baltimore’s workforce for future jobs and connect procurement to the small business community to strengthen the region’s economy and open new pathways for opportunity.”
Thomas, of the Greater Baltimore Committee, added “This next chapter of BLocal would not be possible without the foundational leadership of Johns Hopkins and the many partners who launched the initiative. We’re deeply grateful to Hopkins for having the forethought to create this initiative and the Annie E. Casey Foundation for supporting the feasibility study that will help us build on this legacy and take the initiative to the next level.”
