Neighborhood Fun offers support to local non-profits

Seven years ago, the Hopkins Neighborhood Fund was born under the administration of former President William R. Brody to compliment the efforts of the United Way of Central Maryland in improving communities surrounding the University’s campuses. Today, the fund continues to provide fiscal support to organizations and is now accepting its 2014 grant applications, which are due on Feb. 12.

Since its founding in 2007, the Neighborhood Fund has given over one million dollars to more than 100 nonprofit organizations concerned with a large variety of community improvement initiatives around Baltimore. However, according to Kathleen Crostic, a Community Programs Specialist at the Hopkins Office of Work, Life and Engagement who oversees the application process, the Neighborhood Fund still has room to grow.

“The news of these grants is genuinely still in the process of spreading,” Crostic said.

The fund has distributed grants ranging from roughly $5,000 to $15,000 to organizations such as Wide Angle Youth Media to Habitat for Humanity to the Franciscan Center’s Healthy Food Initiative.

Organizations that qualify for the grant must be a non-profit with 501(c)(3) status. Furthermore, they must be located within a three-fourths-of-a-mile radius from a Hopkins campus. The Neighborhood Fund aims to support organizations that focus their efforts on community revitalization, education, health, employment and public safety.

Additionally, the fund requires that all applicants have a sponsor who has a tie to the University and who is willing to sign the grant application. Hopkins employees, retirees, students and alumni are all eligible to act as sponsors.

“For instance, students who intern at nonprofits often help to get their organizations involved with the fund — they can serve as sponsors, and sign the grant application in order to qualify their nonprofit for the grant,” Crostic said.

For many students involved with volunteer organizations at Hopkins, funding is a very critical issue.

“Our organization is always looking for new ways to get funding since we only rely on small donations and grants,” senior David Forster, treasurer for Greenmount Crossover Basketball, a group based in the Center for Social Concern (CSC) that works on in improving Baltimore’s schools through the medium of basketball. “Grants like this one from the Neighborhood Fund are a great resource. But I wish they were advertised better on campus.”

Beyond helping out the community, some students have posited that a greater presence of non-profit organizations on campus will help improve the student’s perception of the city.

“I can honestly say that with more programs out there, it makes me want to go explore them,” freshman Andrew Rauch said. “It’s very unfortunate that people are so afraid to explore Baltimore. These programs make we want to get out there.”