The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD), in partnership with Civic Works, announced on Wednesday (May 31) new mini-grant opportunities for community-based organizations in Baltimore to provide health resources and combat COVID-19 in underserved communities.

Funding for the grants is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities.”

Each grant will be worth up to $25,000. The window to apply is June 5-23.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that May 11 marked the official end of the COVID-19 National Public Health Emergency (PHE). However, COVID-19 has not entirely gone away; and many Baltimore residents are still vulnerable to severe disease, hospitalization, or even death, including senior citizens, those with disabilities and underlying conditions, and residents not fully vaccinated.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC have also announced that senior citizens and the autoimmune-compromised are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination booster this spring.