South Baltimore Gateway Partnership Announces $600,000 in New Grants to Benefit District Communities
The South Baltimore Gateway Partnership (SBGP) is excited to announce $600,000 in new Community Grants to support 20 projects across South and Southwest Baltimore. This round of funding was highly competitive, attracting proposals totaling more than $1 million. Since its establishment in 2016, SBGP has invested over $13 million through Community Grants and other initiatives.
One grant awarded this cycle is to the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) to support the Sharp-Leadenhall Heritage Mural Project. “We are so glad to be awarded this grant, which will allow the community of Sharp-Leadenhall to come together with an artist to envision a mural that will serve as a visual representation of the history and culture of our neighborhood,” said Betty Bland-Thomas, President of the South Baltimore Partnership (SBP). BOPA is excited to work with SBGP, SBP and Sharp-Leadenhall resident stakeholders on this exciting project.
“Because of the SBGP grant we will be able to offer members of the Cherry Hill community the resources needed to not just gain employment but also the skills needed to keep a job and excel in the position,” said Danielle Battle, Co-Founder of RICH- Restoring Inner City Hope. “We will be able to turn community members into strong candidates for employment in all kinds of positions including those within their own community. This doesn’t just support job placement but community transformation.”
“With SBGP’s support, we can make improvements to our play area to expand opportunities for creative play, place-based learning, and community gatherings,” said Seema Shah-Nelson, Community School Coordinator at George Washington Elementary School. “We are excited for our school grounds to reflect the joyful culture of our school community!”
In addition to the projects described above, the projects receiving funds this cycle include:
- Purchasing food and updated office equipment for a soup kitchen and food pantry (Cherry Hill United Methodist Church);
- Expanding youth-led cleanup efforts in Pigtown (My Father’s Plan);
- Hosting Sports Based Youth Development trainings and providing trauma-informed coaches to youth sports providers (Up2Us Inc.);
- Establishing a Green Ambassadors program to address illegal dumping and create an urban farm (Westport Community Economic Development Corporation); and
- Delivering meals to people who have chronic disease and face disparities in social determinants of health (Saint Agnes Foundation).
A full list of projects funded this cycle is available here.
“We are proud to support groups doing such important work at such a challenging time,” said SBGP Executive Director Brad Rogers. “And we look forward to collaborating with South Baltimore residents to make lasting change – especially in neighborhoods that have been underserved for too long.”
In addition to these newly funded projects, SBGP continues to cultivate longer-term Transformational Projects for the district, including developing the Middle Branch into Baltimore’s next great waterfront and launching the upcoming Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center at Cherry Hill.
A new round of SBGP Community Grant funding will be available in the summer of 2021. Organizations can visit https://sbgpartnership.org/community-grants/ to learn more and apply.