SBGP Announces $500,000 in New Grants to Benefit District Communities

Community News

The South Baltimore Gateway Partnership (SBGP) is pleased to announce $499,539 in new grants to support 23 community projects across South and Southwest Baltimore. This third round of grant funding was highly competitive, attracting proposals totaling more than $2 million.  Since September 2017, SBGP has invested $6 million to advance over 100 community programs and projects, through grants and other initiatives.

“We’re excited to receive these grant funds from the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, which allow us to expand our after-school hands-on minds-on STEM program for students at Westport Academy,” said Debbie Dininno, Area Director for LET’S GO Boys & Girls. “Our team-based activities and career speaker series help students learn to think like scientists and engineers while having fun.”

“This grant for Pigtown Main Street’s ‘Big Pig Impact!’ program supports major improvements for streetscapes and green spaces along Washington Boulevard from block-by-block improvements to the installation of a 36-foot Pigtown Weathervane Sculpture in Carroll Park,” said Kimberly Lane, Interim Executive Director of Pigtown Main Street.

The list of grant projects receiving $30,000 or more includes:

  • Advancing the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network in South Baltimore (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy);
  • Planning a culinary arts training and jobs placement program aiding underserved adults in Southwest Baltimore (Paul’s Place, Inc.);
  • Engaging area students in a school environmental leadership program to learn about reducing urban runoff (Living Classrooms Foundation);
  • Supporting art and music workshops for the youth of Cherry Hill and South Baltimore (Youth Resiliency Institute); and
  • Renovating the Washington Village branch library in Pigtown (Enoch Pratt Free Library).

In addition, 15 small grant recipients will receive up to $5,000 for projects such as the Cherry Hill Community Harvest Fest, the Westport Academy STEM program, the South Baltimore mobile pantry, and the Carroll Street Community Garden.

A full list of newly funded projects is available here.

“For too long, community organizations and nonprofits have been starved for resources,” said SBGP Executive Director Brad Rogers. “We are proud to invest in our neighborhoods, and excited to support organizations that are making a difference.”

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; bringing employers together to support a workforce transit shuttle so residents can access jobs outside the district; and strengthening the capacity of community development corporations serving the district’s neighborhoods.

About the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership

SBGP was established in 2016 to help implement the South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan, a sweeping plan to improve neighborhoods near the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, with funding provided by the Local Impact Grants generated by video lottery terminals. Under its Strategic Plan, SBGP works to improve the vitality of its communities by focusing on three crucial elements of the South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan: Community Development and Revitalization, Environmental Sustainability, and Health and Wellness.  To achieve the agenda laid out in the Strategic Plan, SBGP has established three interrelated program areas: Community Grants, Enhanced Services, and Transformational Projects.

SBGP is not an agency of the City of Baltimore or the State of Maryland. It is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of residents of the district and representatives of businesses located in the district.