The Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) is much more than an institution.
It is a community of people who are passionate about Baltimore and purposeful in their philanthropy. Every day, this community multiplies many individual contributions into collective impact.
I reflected on the power of this community many times over the past year as BCF marked its 50th anniversary. Half a century ago, proud Baltimoreans founded BCF to meet the challenges of their day—the shuttering of industries, flight from the urban center and rising disinvestment and inequality.
They could have stopped there, rallying partners and leveraging support to address urgent needs. But fortunately, they had the foresight to create a permanent philanthropic endowment to meet needs they could not begin to imagine. They engaged a wide range of individuals, families, businesses and the public sector to establish funds for charitable giving, too.
Today, BCF continues to respond to urgent and ever-evolving needs—from the digital divide to the youth mental health crisis, to the gun violence epidemic and much more. With a bird’s-eye view of the challenges, staff deeply engaged in local communities to identify solutions, and expertise in all kinds of giving options, the Baltimore Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to help anyone and everyone make a difference in the community they love.
This is giving by and for the people of Baltimore.
Last year alone, the BCF community distributed more than $30 million for everything from afterschool programs, arts institutions and food assistance to mental health support, workforce training and violence intervention to name just a few. We invested more than $6 million in affordable housing developments, small business loans, clean energy installations and other projects that offer community and economic development benefits alongside financial returns. We opened the doors on our first street-level headquarters—the embodiment of our belief in deep community engagement.
As we look ahead, we are honored to have more than 1,000 fundholders and donors by our side, continuing to believe in the power of community to build a better Baltimore.
But we know that more is needed. If you are not already a member of the BCF community, I hope you will consider joining. Baltimore needs you and BCF is here to help.
Sincerely,
Shanaysha Sauls, Ph.D.
BCF President and CEO
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