Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced the second round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awards from the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs (MORP) to nonprofit organizations serving families, youth, and vulnerable communities throughout the City of Baltimore.
The awards – totaling just over $6.6 million – span the Scott Administration’s priority pillars outlined in the Mayor’s Action Plan, including building public safety, equitable neighborhood development, prioritizing youth, and clean and healthy communities.
Last month, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs awarded nine nonprofits with grants totaling $7.3 million. The grant funding in this latest round increases the total funding awarded to nonprofit organizations through MORP to just under $14 million from the City’s $641 million ARPA allocation.
“Baltimore’s nonprofit community provides a host of essential services to our communities and is an essential component of our city’s renaissance,” said Mayor Scott. “My administration is committed to supporting these organizations as they support our residents. Together, we will move Baltimore towards a better, brighter future that ensures the safety, economic opportunity, and social support for all Baltimoreans regardless of zip code, ethnicity, or sexual identity.”
According to a press release:
The selected nonprofit recipients are as follows:
- B360 will receive $1,250,000 to help provide workforce training and youth STEM education programming in Baltimore City.
- Baltimore Safe Haven will receive $500,000 to provide transitional housing case management, and guidance to reduce actual homelessness, the risk of homelessness, and associated risk factors contributing to homelessness.
- Bethel Outreach will receive $1,250,000 to provide Upton community residents with essential resources and services such as food, shelter, healthcare, employment and financial management. Funds will be used to complete interior buildout of the wellness center, which has been out of service as a result COVID.
- Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will receive $275,000 to address education disparities by offering Baltimore City school students a theater experience by covering the cost of transportation and tickets to its Student Matinee Program.
- Downtown Partnership will receive $1,600,000 to revitalize Downtown Baltimore’s historic retail core, which was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to lower foot traffic to downtown commercial entities such as restaurants, hotels, office spaces, and businesses. Funds will increase investment in the Downtown BOOST Program, Facade Improvement Program, Restaurant Gap Fund, and Operation Storefront, with an emphasis on small and minority-owned businesses.
- Greater Baltimore Urban League will receive $1,000,000 to provide counseling, case management, soft skills, hard skills training and certifications for 120 Baltimore City residents returning from incarceration.
- North East Housing Initiative will receive $300,000 to provide programs to support residents at 30-50% area median income (AMI) in northeast Baltimore including: housing counseling services, tutoring programs, support for vulnerable families with food and housing insecurities, and job readiness training.
- Soccer Without Borders will receive $450,000 for Latinx youth in Southeast Baltimore who have struggled during COVID-19 using soccer as an entry point. The project will also support operations at their community hub in Highlandtown that helps students complete their homework while integrating English into daily activities and ensuring that they are able to advance academically.
Nonprofit organizations submitted 322 proposals that were eligible for ARPA funding. The submitted proposals totaled $719 million-more than the City’s total ARPA allocation through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF). Additional announcements of awards to nonprofit organizations will be made in the coming months.
