BALTIMORE, MD (Tuesday, December 29, 2020) — Mayor M. Brandon Scott and the Baltimore Civic Fund announced $5 million in grant funding to awardees of the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund. The fund will support 124 nonprofit organizations serving Baltimore residents, who will gain access to critical funding to cover unplanned costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even while many organizations experienced decreased revenue and unexpected costs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our nonprofit community has stepped up to continue serving the residents of Baltimore,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund supports the nonprofit organizations that play a critical role in our neighborhoods and the lives of Baltimoreans.”

Recognizing nonprofits’ quick response to continue and grow crucial services and serve Baltimore residents, Baltimore dedicated $5 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund.

Administered by the Baltimore Civic Fund, the Nonprofit Relief Fund is a one-time opportunity that supports nonprofit organizations by reimbursing them for unplanned costs incurred since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The Baltimore Civic Fund worked in partnership with the City to create an equitable process to ensure that as many non-profits as possible were able to access the funds. Grant funding will cover expenses incurred by nonprofit organizations adapting to continue safe and effective operations during the pandemic, including hosting virtual events and programs, increasing or shifting staffing to meet new demands, and supplying staff and those they serve with personal protective equipment (PPE).

“The Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund grants ensures nonprofits are able recoup expenses as we depend on them more than ever to offer important services,” said HyeSook Chung, President of the Baltimore Civic Fund. “Working alongside City leadership, we are so humbled that the Civic Fund could play an important part in providing support for the nonprofit community.”

Grantees of the Nonprofit Relief Fund serve a diverse variety of needs in Baltimore, including human services, health and wellness, youth programs, art and culture, education, religious communities, and environmentalism.

"The grant received from the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund allows Art with a Heart to continue providing a wide range of art programs to our community during this time of great need,"  said Randi Pupkin, Executive Director of Art with a Heart, which received funding to reimburse the cost of assembling of individual art boxes for thousands of students to participate in art classes, among other needs. "We can pursue our work of using visual art to enhance the lives of people in need more tenaciously and without compromise knowing that a considerable portion of the extra expense we have incurred due to COVID-19 has been offset by the grant."

"As we respond to the food insecurity and other needs among our immigrant and refugee neighbors, including many new requests for help every day, we are limited by the resources available to us," said Tiffany Nelms, Executive Director of Asylee Women Enterprise. "With the Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund, we are able to say 'yes' during a time where we would otherwise have to make hard decisions about who is most in need and who we are able to help." Asylee Women Enterprise used the Nonprofit Relief Fund to hire additional staff to support an expanded food program and associated case management for families in-need, as well as moving programming online. 

A full list of the 124 Baltimore Nonprofit Relief Fund grantees is below:

About the Baltimore Civic Fund

The Baltimore Civic Fund is an nonprofit organization that operates at the intersection of government and philanthropy to advance the City’s priorities to improve the quality of life for all Baltimore residents. Founded in 1981 as a mayoral fund for the City, the Civic Fund works in close partnership with Baltimore City, private sector partners, and other public and private resources to facilitate collaboration, promote public-private partnerships, and advance key initiatives.

The Civic Fund serves as the fiscal sponsor for Baltimore City, managing over $10 million for more than 115 City programs each year, enabling the city to raise philanthropic resources to support health and human services, economic development, education, culture and creativity, job growth, and more. In addition, the Civic Fund provides community engagement support, technical assistance, and resources opportunities and grant management for City-led and supported initiatives.