Weinberg Foundation Announces Grants as Part of $3M Summer Funding Collaborative

 

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, today announced $770,000 in grants to 29 Baltimore nonprofits as part of the $3 million Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative. The initiative was created to fund high-quality summer programs that serve low-income Baltimore City youth.

 

The Funding Collaborative involves ten of Baltimore's largest charitable funders: the Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Clayton Baker Trust, Family League of Baltimore, France-Merrick Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, Lockhart Vaughan Foundation, and The Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation.

 

The organizations support programs that focus on literacy; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); youth employment; college and career readiness; environmental education; health and overcoming stress and trauma; and enrichment such as sports and the arts.

 

"The Summer Funding Collaborative has nearly tripled in size in just one year," said Barry Schloss, Weinberg Foundation Board Chair. "Not only has summer funding increased from a total of $1.5 million to $3 million, but the number of Baltimore funders has grown from three to ten. The Weinberg Foundation celebrates this extraordinary spirit of partnership and the promise of providing even more children with opportunities for summer learning and enrichment."     

 

The following 29 organizations will be funded specifically by the Weinberg Foundation:

 

•  Access Art

•  Living Classrooms Foundation

•  Afya Baltimore

•  Parks and People Foundation

•  Art with a Heart

•  Patterson Park Public Charter School

•  Baltimore Corps

•  Paul's Place

•  Baltimore Curriculum Project

•  Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy

•  Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School

•  Soccer Without Borders

•  Baltimore SquashWise

•  Southwest Baltimore Charter School

•  Beat the Streets-Baltimore

•  St. Veronica Roman Catholic Congregation

•  Bon Secours of Maryland Foundation

•  St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore

•  Digital Harbor Foundation

•  The Baltimore Youth Alliance

•  Education Based Latino Outreach (EBLO)

•  The Hampden Family Center

•  Friends of the Poor

•  Village Learning Place

•  Green Street Academy

•  The YMCA of Central Maryland

•  Head Start Summer Collaborative

•  Young Audiences of Maryland

•  Liberty Elementary Rec and Tech Center

 

While each funder made its own internal funding decisions, all ten funders shared the same application process and review strategy. The shared application has made it easier for organizations to apply for funding from multiple organizations while also facilitating more efficient and impactful funding decisions. Similarly, by using an objective scoring tool and common evaluation, the funders have a uniform framework to assess program quality and alignment with funding priorities.

 

Last summer, the Weinberg Foundation approved $960,000 in funding to 33 organizations. Approximately 4,500 students were served and program providers reported 85% average daily attendance. Several of the programs which the Foundation supported in previous years as part of the Summer Funding Collaborative are now supported through the Foundation's regular grantmaking process.

 

Research reveals that youth in low-income families, unlike their peers from higher-income families, often lack access to activities—whether through camps, libraries, or even museums—that keep their minds engaged over the summer. As a result, they experience "summer slide," losing one to three months of knowledge and skills gained during the previous school year.