Family League of Baltimore Announces Recipients of $200,000 Adaptive Village Small Grants

Family League of Baltimore and Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy in partnership with Share Our Strength and CLLCTIVLY, announce the 21 recipients of over $200,000 in Adaptive Village Small Grants.

The Adaptive Village Small Grants program is dedicated to supporting grassroots leaders in the City of Baltimore who create healthy spaces for children and the community. "This pilot project illustrates power and agency in community voice,” said President and CEO of Family League, Demaune Millard. “It was not conceived from a Zoom meeting or conference room, but it is a manifestation of residents telling the gatekeepers; [that] we know better than anyone else what is in our best interest. So, if you really want to help then fund us because we can do it better."

As a result of this initiative, grant recipients are given the opportunity to create or strengthen innovative projects addressing issues of public safety, education, housing, employment, and transportation, without the benefit of a formalized organizational structure. Low-strings attached grant funding enables Baltimore communities to tell their own stories and celebrate their efforts unfiltered by others.

Over 120 community members submitted a 3-minute video application, requesting grants from $2500-$25,000 to support their innovative work. Voting opened on May 17, 2022, ending on May 27, 2022, gaining over 11,000 online votes in just 10 days. Community members were able to vote electronically, allowing the public to determine which submissions were funded. Initiatives with the most votes in each funding category are the decided winners.

The top five finalists in the $25,000 grant category, determined by the number of votes, were originally slated to enter a second round of judging, where the top two winners would be chosen by a review panel. However, due to the overwhelming response of remarkable submissions, Family League was able to identify additional funding to award all five finalists in the $25,000 category.

Click here to read the full press release.

Source: The Family League of Baltimore