Baltimore Civic Fund

What Baltimore Civic Fund does

Baltimore Civic Fund is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal intermediary founded in 1981 (originally as Baltimore City Foundation, rebranded February 2020) that serves as the City of Baltimore's designated vehicle for receiving and administering philanthropic and pass-through public funds. The organization provides fiscal sponsorship to City of Baltimore agencies and grant administration for community-based nonprofits, currently stewarding approximately $20 million annually across more than 100 city programs and distinct grant initiatives, including the Digital Equity Fund, ARPA Artist Grant Fund, Environmental Offset Grant Program, Doula Capacity Scholarship Fund, Nonprofit Relief Fund, and the Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund.

Revenue is generated entirely through a nonprofit funding mix: charitable contributions and donations ($11.46M in FY23), federal grants channeled primarily via ARPA ($8.27M in FY23), and modest investment income ($0.49M in FY23), with FY22 program spending reaching $27M (up from $16M in FY21) before normalizing to $18M in FY23 as one-time COVID relief wound down. The organization employs 1-10 staff led by President HyeSook Chung and is governed by a volunteer board over which the Mayor of Baltimore holds majority appointment authority.

Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and community-led rather than sales-driven: it markets primarily through its website, earned media, annual reports, community events, and email newsletters, and distributes services via direct municipal partnerships, a Qgiv-powered donation portal, and a Submittable-based grant application system. Customer/beneficiary segments include City of Baltimore agencies (primary fiscal sponsors), Baltimore-serving nonprofits (grant recipients), philanthropic donors (foundations, corporations, individuals), and ultimately Baltimore residents as end beneficiaries. The organization has no proprietary technology product beyond standard nonprofit SaaS tools.

Name

Baltimore Civic Fund

Legal name

Baltimore Civic Fund

Website

https://baltimorecivicfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Baltimore Civic Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal intermediary founded in 1981 that administers philanthropic and federal funds on behalf of the City of Baltimore, managing roughly $20 million annually across 100+ city programs and grant initiatives that support city agencies, community-based nonprofits, and Baltimore residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsorship

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Fiscal sponsorship
• Grantmaking administration
• Capacity building
• Public-private partnerships
• Nonprofit intermediary

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Contributions and Donations: The Civic Fund receives charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support City of Baltimore programs. In FY23, contributions totaled $11,457,449.
2. Federal Grants: The organization receives and administers federal funding, including ARPA funds, for City programs. In FY23, federal grants totaled $8,272,747.
3. Investment Income: Returns on invested funds held by the organization. In FY23, net realized/unrealized investment income was $487,832.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Baltimore Civic Fund serves as the designated fiscal sponsor for the City of Baltimore, enabling City agencies to receive and administer philanthropic and public funds. It administers grant programs (Digital Equity Fund, ARPA Artist Grant Fund, Environmental Offset Grant, Doula Capacity Scholarship, Nonprofit Relief Fund, Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund, and others), delivers capacity building and technical assistance to community-based organizations, and facilitates public-private partnerships across health, public safety, economic development, arts and culture, digital equity, and emergency response. The Fund manages roughly $20 million annually across more than 100 city programs.

Product overview

Baltimore Civic Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the fiscal sponsor for the City of Baltimore. Founded in 1981, it functions as a unified platform providing fiscal sponsorship services, grantmaking administration, capacity building, and public-private partnership facilitation. The organization manages multiple distinct grant programs including the Digital Equity Fund, ARPA Artist Grant Fund, Environmental Offset Grant Program, Doula Capacity Scholarship Fund, and the Nonprofit Relief Fund, among others. These programs collectively support city agencies and community-based organizations in areas including health, public safety, economic development, digital equity, arts and culture, and emergency response. The organization stewards approximately $20 million annually for over 100 city programs through public donations, federal grants, and philanthropic partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fiscal Sponsorship Services Core service providing fiscal intermediary support for the City of Baltimore, enabling city agencies to receive and administer philanthropic and public funds for programs in health, public safety, economic development, education, arts, and more. Targeted at Baltimore City Mayor's Office and city agencies that lack their own 501(c)(3) structure to receive charitable contributions.
• Digital Equity Fund A grant program supporting community-based organizations implementing digital inclusion projects, including digital literacy education, IT fundamentals training, and digital creatives programming. Administered in partnership with BCIT; awarded $2,869,163 across 188 Baltimore neighborhoods, funding 32 organizations implementing 37 projects (27 grants in DEF I and 10 in DEF II).
• ARPA Artist Grant Fund A grant program funded through the City's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation providing $4,000 unrestricted grants to Baltimore artists impacted by COVID-19. Administered in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs; in July 2025, 81 local creatives received a total of $324,000 in grants.
• Environmental Offset Grant Program A grant program led by the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability that supports projects restoring and expanding tree canopy and urban forests, improving waterway quality, and enhancing wildlife habitat, funded through Chesapeake Bay Critical Area and Forest Conservation funds.
• Doula Capacity Scholarship Fund A scholarship program supporting doulas in obtaining Medicaid certification and integrating into Baltimore City's care coordination system. Administered in partnership with Sweet Bee Services (which provides comprehensive training, mentorship, CPR certification, and liability insurance support) and the Baltimore City Health Department.
• 2026 Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission RFP A request for proposals process administered in partnership with the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission to engage strategic communications and strategic planning consultants.
• Nonprofit Relief Fund A COVID-19 relief grant program for Baltimore nonprofit organizations, distributing federal CARES Act and ARPA funds to support organizations facing unexpected costs during the pandemic. Provided $5M in initial funding to 124 nonprofits and $3.4M to 120 additional nonprofits, with an additional $4M in ARPA funding.
• Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund An emergency response fund established after the March 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to provide financial support to families of victims and survivors. Raised $1,139,990.20 from 5,741 donations (over $1.1 million from nearly 5,800 donors) and distributed funds in partnership with MIMA, including to immigrant and new American families.

Quantifiable outcome

• $27M spent on programs in FY22 (up from $16M in FY21)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Recycling PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership to distribute free recycling carts to every eligible City household, funded by a $9 million initiative including a $3 million grant from The Recycling Partnership. This was the nation's largest project to modernize recycling collection.
• Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund, distributing $1.14 million from 5,741 donors to families of victims and survivors of the Key Bridge collapse. Also partnered for Emergency Relief for Immigrant Families, distributing nearly $1.1 million to over 2,000 families.
• Baltimore County Office of Community EngagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with MIMA on Key Bridge response to support families and new Americans impacted by the collapse, extending work beyond city and county boundaries.
• The Esperanza Center (Catholic Charities of Baltimore)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with MIMA to facilitate case management for families directly impacted by the Key Bridge collapse, ensuring families had resources to mourn and feel supported regardless of immigration status.
• Baltimore City Health Department - Division of AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscal sponsor for Baltimore's 13 senior centers and the Senior Assisted Living Group Home Subsidy Program. Supports 18 assisted living facilities and 70+ participants enrolled annually in the subsidy program.
• Baltimore City Information and Technology (BCIT) - Office of Broadband and Digital EquitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Digital Equity Fund supporting 32 community-based organizations implementing 37 digital inclusion projects. The fund awarded $2,869,163 across 188 neighborhoods, with 27 grants in DEF I and 10 grants in DEF II.
• Baltimore CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Baltimore Health Corps pilot, contributing to equitable hiring and career development for community health workers. Baltimore Corps helped ensure the hiring process was reflective of Baltimore's diversity.
• HealthCare Access MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Baltimore Health Corps, onboarding 43 community health workers to address multifaceted needs of Baltimore City residents impacted by COVID-19, including food access, health insurance, and isolation support.
• JhpiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Baltimore Health Corps, helping build an equitable contact tracing corps that represents the people it serves in Baltimore's COVID-19 response.
• Baltimore City Recreation and ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for AFRAM Festival (one of the largest African American cultural festivals on the East Coast, attracting 300,000+ attendees) and expanded programming for youth including health and wellness, mentoring, and creative arts.
• Sweet Bee ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerService provider for the Doula Capacity Scholarship Fund, training Baltimore City residents to become community-based doulas prepared to support families in Baltimore's hospitals, including those receiving Medicaid. Provides comprehensive training, mentorship, CPR certification, and liability insurance support.
• Enterprise Community DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHas several Senior Living Communities interested in partnership for digital education services for their residents. Operating in Baltimore area with interest in receiving digital education services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tides Foundation: Tides is the largest U.S. fiscal sponsor for place-based and mission-driven projects — a direct functional peer to the Civic Fund as a multi-program 501(c)(3) that stewards philanthropic and grant dollars on behalf of public-private initiatives.
• Fund for Public Health NYC: A fiscal intermediary created specifically to channel public and philanthropic funds to New York City health agencies — a direct analog of the Civic Fund's model of partnering with municipal departments (e.g., Baltimore City Health Department).

Broad incumbents

• Baltimore Community Foundation: Baltimore's largest community foundation, operating in the same metro and overlapping with the Civic Fund as both a grantmaker and a 2025 funder of the Civic Fund — directly comparable in mission, geography, and donor base.
• United Way of Central Maryland: A regional United Way that administers large-scale donor-designated funds, workplace giving campaigns, and nonprofit capacity programs — comparable in Baltimore-area scope and intermediated grantmaking.
• The Boston Foundation: A city-focused community foundation that acts as both grantmaker and fiscal sponsor for civic initiatives — structurally analogous to the Civic Fund's role as Baltimore's primary civic intermediary.
• New York Community Trust: A leading urban community foundation stewarding philanthropic and pass-through funds for NYC programs — a comparable large-metro civic fiscal intermediary model.
• Chicago Community Trust: One of the largest U.S. community foundations focused on a single metro area — comparable to the Civic Fund in stewarding place-based philanthropic capital for a major U.S. city.
• San Francisco Foundation: A major Bay Area community foundation that combines place-based grantmaking with civic intermediary functions — comparable as a metropolitan-scale philanthropic steward for public-private partnerships.

Regional players

• Greater New Orleans Foundation: A regional community foundation serving the New Orleans metro with both grantmaking and emergency-response funds, including post-disaster work — similar in disaster-response fiscal intermediation to the Civic Fund's COVID and Key Bridge funds.
• Greater Washington Community Foundation: A regional community foundation in the Mid-Atlantic serving the DC metro with grantmaking and fiscal-pass-through programs — analogous in geography and donor community to the Civic Fund.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bmore_CivicFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baltimore-civic-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baltimore Civic Fund