Community grant program targeting childhood poverty open for applications

Community organizations can now apply for grants from the ENOUGH Act, aiming to reduce childhood poverty in Maryland. The regions in orange have been identified as areas that could qualify for ENOUGH grant funding. Courtesy of the Governor's Office for Children.

Nonprofits, district schools, unions and many other community-based organizations are able to apply for a state grant aiming to reduce childhood poverty across Maryland, as part of the $15 million ENOUGH Grants.

The grants were created under the ENOUGH Act – for Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments and Households – a broad-reaching grant program aimed to help community organizations work together with the help of state agencies to reduce childhood poverty in their area.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) last week urged interested groups to apply for the ENOUGH grant in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“ We believe that the people closest to the challenge are closest to the solution. The ENOUGH Grant Program will empower leaders in our c ommunities to partner with the state so that we can break cycles of poverty,” he posted.

Such groups could include nonprofits, faith-based organizations, law enforcement, small business owners, school districts, local colleges and universities, unions and community development organizations, among others.

The grant opportunity has been open since Wednesday.

The ENOUGH Act was one of Moore’s priority bills during the 2024 legislative session. The legislation, which carved out $15 million to support the grant funds, went into effect July 1.

The Governor’s Office for Children held an informational meeting Wednesday with Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response to start conversations on the application process.

Nicole Alexander Scott, the senior adviser of strategy for the Governor’s Office for Children, said that solutions are “not going to come overnight” but the ENOUGH grant will allow communities to lead in poverty reduction efforts with technical help and financial support from the state.

“ENOUGH is not going to be the end-all be-all, but we are looking to establish and strengthen the foundation so that communities can continue on and try for funding and lead the changes they know are needed,” she said.

The targeted communities would be those with more than 30% of children living in poverty, determined through U.S. Census data, that are served by a community school with a poverty concentration level of at least 80%.

The goal is for multiple community-based groups to come together with a specific project tailored to the needs of the community.

“We want to see discernible impact in a very tight and specific place through this funding,” said Leopold Spohngellert, deputy director for the ENOUGH Initiative, during last week’s informational webinar. “If you spread the peanut butter too thin, we’re not going to see any changes happen.”

According to a data map from the Governor’s Office for Children, there is at least one eligible ZIP code in Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Harford, Caroline, Charles, Dorchester and Baltimore counties as well as the city of Baltimore.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity letter says that selected projects will target four indicators: healthier families, safer communities, economic mobility, and creating smooth transitions from school to career opportunities.

The amount an applicant can receive will vary. Some projects could earn up to $65,000 for upt to a year, while others could earn up to $5 million for three years, depending on the size and development of the project.

Applications for the grant are due in the fall. Projects selected for the ENOUGH grants should receive those funds in 2025, according to the Governor’s Office for Children.

The post Community grant program targeting childhood poverty open for applications appeared first on Maryland Matters .