Baltimore Integration Partnership Update - July 2015

Two New Anchors Join the BIP
The BIP is pleased to welcome Notre Dame of Maryland University and LifeBridge Health to the partnership. Eleven anchor institutions are now part of the collective impact strategy focused on establishing economic inclusion as the business culture of norm in the Baltimore region through local hiring, purchasing and community reinvestment.

BIP Helps Support MICA Arts Incubator Study

The BIP has awarded funding to the Maryland Institute College of Art to explore the development of a career acceleration support network for artists and designers with economic and social equity impact. A consultant will help evaluate the feasibility of a city-wide infrastructural network to attract and retain creative talent helping incubate businesses as well as support those in the creative space. The study is expected to last approximately six months and is jointly funded by the Surdna Foundation.

BIP, Food Hub, City Seeds, and Lexington Market Collaborate on #MadeInBaltimore Food Vendor Fair

Hosted at Lexington Market in June, BIP anchor institutions, food service providers, hotels, and restaurants networked with thirty local food vendors showcasing their products. Well covered by the media, the event not only connected anchor institutions with local purchasing opportunities, the effort promoted local businesses andraised up the importance of local purchasing to help create jobs in Baltimore. The event was coordinated with City Seeds, A Humanim Social Enterprise, which will accelerate food businesses in Baltimore and support job creation in the food innovation economy through a planned business training program called the School of Food. Read more in the Baltimore Sun and see the event video.

BIP supports "Made in Baltimore” Pop Up Shop and Vendor Fair for Anchors

Organized by the Industrial Arts Collective (IAC) of Baltimore, a pop up shop will be held in the gallery space of North Avenue Market startingon August 8^thgoing through September 25th. The pop up shop will feature products made by more than 50 light manufacturers, artists, and others. As part of this effort, the IAC and the BIP will be collaborating to connect partners and anchors to IAC businesses and locally made products on September 15^that 5:30. BIP event details forthcoming – contact BIP staff.

Opportunity Collaborative releases Regional Plan for Sustainable Development

Completed in June, the RPSD represents the first joint and sustained effort by the governments and significant non-governmental organizations in the region to collectively address regional planning issues including workforce, transportation and housing to identify cross-cutting responses to the challenges created by regional disparities. The report outlines goals and strategies to advance economic opportunities and competitiveness including working with anchor institutions; improving transportation access to career, training, and educational opportunities; and closing the gap in opportunities between communities by increasing the supply of housing affordable to the region’s workforce at all income levels.Full Report

UChicago, Drexel, and JHU Panel Highlight Anchor Inclusion Initiatives

William Towns (University of Chicago), Lucy Kerman (Drexel), and Charlene Moore Hayes (JHU) spent a June morning with BIP anchor leadership to talk through how each of their respective institutions is moving forward programs and initiatives to support local residents and businesses. Discussion highlights included UChicago Local,which features local hiring and workforce coordination approaches as well as the CASE procurement initiative. Drexel’s Office of University and Community Partnership’s is advancing local purchasing and job training initiatives as well as supports for K-12 schools in West Philly.Finally, Johns Hopkins is moving forward comprehensive efforts to hire locally including the hiring of exoffenders.

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The Baltimore Integration Partnership is funded by the national Living Cities Integration Initiative and generous local support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Goldseker Foundation, Associated Black Charities, The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Maryland Philanthropy Network (Maryland Philanthropy Network),which acts as a backbone organization, coordinating and staffing the partnership.