The Baltimore Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofits with 501©(3) status. We will also consider projects working with fiscal sponsors as long as the fiscal sponsor meets financial standards. Please include your fiscal sponsor’s 501©(3) documentation when submitting your application.
The Baltimore Community Foundation does not generally fund the following:
- Annual fund campaigns
- Religious or sectarian purposes
- Capital campaigns
- Individuals, excluding scholarships
- Event sponsorships
Deadlines vary depending upon the grant program to which you are applying. Please see our grants page for more detail.
Yes. However, the ability to make multi-year grants is dependent upon funds available and is at the discretion of the board committee with oversight of the grant.
BCF was created to serve the greater Baltimore region. We use our discretionary resources (competitive grants) to fund organizations that are located in or benefit residents of Baltimore City or Baltimore County. Your headquarters may be located elsewhere, but your program must serve the people of this region in order to be eligible for a grant.
If you are located outside our service area, visit the National Community Foundation Locator to find a community foundation serving your area.
All of our grant records are electronic. We ask that you use our online application portal to submit proposals. If special circumstances prevent you from submitting an application online and you would like to mail a copy, please contact a program officer for further instructions.
Once you submit a proposal, we will review it for eligibility. If we need further information, a program officer will call, and may request a site visit. After confirming that your request is a match for one or more grant programs, the program officer will evaluate your proposal, then submit it to a board committee for review and possible approval.
BCF grantmaking committees meet several times each year to review proposals and approve grants. Our committees are comprised of BCF trustees and other volunteers who serve without compensation and for rotating terms. They discuss funding requests and the merits of proposals in a series of confidential meetings at BCF. The review process, from time of application to time of approval, decline or deferral by our board, takes about three months.
Once a grant is awarded, you will receive an email notifying you of the award, along with an electronic grant agreement to be electronically signed. Read the grant agreement carefully to make note of your responsibilities, then sign and return it. Then we will release payment of the grant in accordance with the payment schedule and any special conditions spelled out in the grant agreement. We are happy to arrange an electronic transfer of funds for grant payments.
Please keep us informed about your progress and accomplishments. We may schedule a site visit. This is how we gather the information that we need to provide accountability to our donors and the community, and how we continue building our relationship with you.
Through our service to donors we often provide information on organizations and issues in the Baltimore area that are pertinent to the donors’ interest. However, we are unable to assist you in setting up an informational meeting with or distributing information about your organization to our donors.
Yes. Please visit our Scholarship page for more information.
