With over $173 million in assets and more than 800 different philanthropic funds under management, the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) is a major grantmaking force in the Mid-Atlantic region. This community funder has been on the local scene since 1972 and has granted over $500 million since its inception. In recent years, its annual giving totals have been around $18 million, and it has been taking a two-pronged approach to local giving.
Here, we take a closer look at BCF’s approach to philanthropy and highlight what Baltimore-area grantseekers need to know.
Over the years, BCF has distributed its grants across many different focus areas, including community leadership, education, neighborhoods, early learning, LGBTQ, health, women, arts, disadvantaged youth, mental health and aging. But more recently, the funder is looking more closely at new strategies around two of its specific interests: education and neighborhoods.
Recent leadership grants focus on youth programs and resident training sessions, while neighborhood grants encourage the next generation of Baltimore leaders through community events, beautification projects and youth volunteering. Much of the rest of BCF’s focus is on education right now, especially on Baltimore’s west side at Howard Park /Forest Park (Calvin Rodwell Elementary/Middle and Liberty Elementary) and Reservoir Hill/Penn North (Dorothy Heights Elementary). Early learning and improvements to school leadership are two major components of BCF’s education commitment.
Meanwhile, other funds housed at BCF are open to grantseekers’ requests and have their own guidelines and processes. For example, the Baker-King Foundation Fund’s interests are medicine, education and child welfare, while the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Family Foundation supports arts, education and disease-specific health causes. There’s also a women’s giving circle at BCF, as well as separate funds committed to arts and culture, summer camps for children, mental health, aging and mini-grants for good deeds. Application deadlines vary from program to program and year to year.
A good way to keep up with BCF is to browse its newsroom for recent news and press releases. Overall, BCF is a good funder to keep in mind both for seed money and for ongoing projects in need of grant support. BCF is welcoming to first-time grantseekers and considers multi-year requests in certain circumstances. Unlike some other community funders, BCF prefers to receive a formal request in writing from nonprofits before speaking about a program or setting up a meeting. Site visits are common after receiving a formal request.
Keep up with local funding in Baltimore right here at Inside Philanthropy.