Open Works, the makerspace and nonprofit dedicated to making education and entrepreneurship accessible to all, is hosting a resource fair to support laid-off government workers and contractors on Friday, April 25 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Federal layoffs and budget cuts by the Trump administration and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (“DOGE”) have impacted thousands of workers across Maryland. Open Works is responding with an Entrepreneurship Resource Fair to connect former government workers, contractors, and small businesses impacted by those cuts with local resources and opportunities.
People who attend the fair will have a wide range of support services available to them, including:
- Entrepreneurship & small business resources
- Job placement assistance
- Housing support services
- Membership orientation tours at Open Works
- A free mending workshop
- Over a dozen community-based vendors and service providers
The event is intended for former and current federal workers, contractors, gig workers, small business owners, and community members seeking support during this time of transition.
Nearly 10% of Maryland’s workforce is employed by the federal government. The state has the highest proportion of federal workers outside of Washington, D.C. and the second-largest total number of federal workers behind Virginia. Given ongoing cuts and layoffs, Open Works seeks to stand with their neighbors by offering direct, accessible support, and ideally, tangible pathways to economic resilience.
Organizations participating in the Entrepreneurship Resource Fair include:
- University of Baltimore
- Early Charm
- ReBUILD Metro, Inc.
- Pava Center for Entrepreneurship
- Maryland Technology Internship Program
- Moms As Entrepreneurs
- Loyola University Maryland’s Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Dent Education Inc.
- Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development
- United Way of Central Maryland
- Baltimore Gas & Electric
- Impact Hub Baltimore
- Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
- Northwestern Mutual
- Integrity Marketing Group LLC
- Baltimore County Dept. of Economic and Workforce Development
- Turnaround Tuesday Jobs Movement
Open Works is located at 1400 Greenmount Ave., Baltimore, MD. Questions can be directed to frontdesk@openworksbmore.com.
RSVP by clicking this link.
