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New Community Grants in Baltimore!
Jun 8, 2010
Are you a struggling activist, organizing, or social justice organization in the Baltimore area? Then come to 2640 on June 12, and find out more about an exciting new opportunity for small-scale community grants in the city. Research Associates Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new Community Grants Program starting in Baltimore this fall - organizations will be able to apply for $500 - $2500 grants to fund movement-building and organizing work! Hear from members of the RAF, ask questions about the new grant program, find out how you can apply, and celebrate the first round of grantees! Find out how you can be involved as a funder, to help support RAF's important work. Plus, music by the Charm City Labor Chorus, and free food & drink! June 12, 5-7PM, at 2640 Saint Paul Street. For more info rafbaltimore.org.
Research Associates Launches a New Community Grantmaking Program in Baltimore
Research Associates Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new program for funding grassroots and social justice organizations in Baltimore. The Research Associates Foundation Community Grants Program provides small-scale grants of up to $2,500 for organizations, initiatives, and individuals working toward social change in the city of Baltimore, and the greater Baltimore metropolitan area.
The RAF Community Grants Program Launch
RAF Launch Party: Saturday, June 12 | 5-7PM | @ 2640 Saint Paul Street (St. John’s Church/2640)
Featuring a performance by the Charm City Labor Chorus | Refreshments will be served
On June 12, 2010, the RAF is holding a Launch Party featuring the first four awards in this new phase of its operation as a progressive community foundation. The very first of these awards is designated as the Chester L. and Mary Ann Wickwire Award for Peace and Social Justice, in honor of these two indefatigable activists and founding members of the original Research Associates collective. That award will be given to the Baltimore Algebra Project to cover expenses for these young people to attend the U.S. Social Forum (USSF) June 22–26 in Detroit.
The Baltimore Indypendent Reader, the United Workers, and the Baltimore Free School will also receive awards of $2,500 at the June 12 event, as groups that demonstrate the commitment to social justice research and activism that this city so desperately needs. RAF will announce the start of the first official grant cycle at the June 12 event. Groups wishing to apply for RAF Community Grants are strongly encouraged to attend. Individuals or organizations wishing to donate money to help sustain the RAF grant program are similarly encouraged to attend the event.
History of RAF
In 1982 a group of local activists founded the Research Associates Foundation (RAF). For many years RAF owned and operated the Progressive Action Center (PAC) on Gorsuch Avenue in Baltimore where numerous progressive groups, such as the Workers Action Press, the Alternative Press Center, and Baltimore Action for Justice in the Americas (BAJA), had headquarters and held activities. During those years the PAC was a significant center for events, organization and information related to anti-racist and anti-imperialist movements, along with women’s, LGBTQ, and workers’ rights groups and campaigns.
In 2009 RAF began a new phase of activism: It sold the PAC and will now dedicate itself to providing small grants to support progressive educational and transformative projects in the Baltimore community. Activists from the ‘60s to the twenty-first century are uniting to continue the ever necessary tasks of building a peaceful and just society. Current board members include Howard Ehrlich, Ryan Harvey, David Kandel, Kate Khatib, Barbara Larcom, Mike McGuire, Kostis Papadantonakis, Dean Pappas, Fred Pincus, and Jack Sinnigen.
For more information, please visit http://www.rafbaltimore.org or email info@rafbaltimore.org
