The Abell Foundation is a left-of-center private grantmaking organization operating in the state of Maryland with a focus on the city of Baltimore. The Foundation focuses on “concentrated poverty” distributing grants on issues ranging from education to environmentalism.

Its president, Robert C. Embry, Jr., is a former liberal elected official who has served liberal administrations at the Baltimore local and national levels. ¹

History

The Abell Foundation was founded on December 31, 1953 by Harry C. Black. ² Black served as the Chairman of the A.S. Abell Company, the former publisher of the Baltimore Sun. ³ Today, the Abell Foundation has grown to become the largest private foundation focused on Maryland. ⁴

The Abell Foundation aims to solve issues of “concentrated poverty” by focusing on social, economic, and environmental problems. ⁵ Since 1953, the Foundation has distributed more than $339 million in grants to nonprofits and vulnerable business start-ups. ⁶

Grantmaking Activity

In 2018, the Foundation approved $13,102,817 in grants, with amounts ranging from $500 to $500,000. ⁷ Most of the grant funding in 2018 went to community development projects (23.7%), workforce development (19.7%), and education (19.7%). ⁸

The Foundation gave its largest community development grant in 2018 to Emerging Technology Centers, Inc ($275,000) to provide instruction, workshops, mentorship, investor networking, and free office space to emerging entrepreneurs. ⁹ The Foundation targeted smaller grants at poverty reduction, giving to food banks, urban farming initiatives, and fuel for low-income households. ¹⁰

The Foundation gave its largest 2018 grant in the education sector, offering $500,000 to Baltimore’s Promise to provide occupational training and employment for 500 Baltimore City Schools graduates who did not go to college. ¹¹ In workforce development, the Foundation provided its largest grant to the Center for Urban Families in the amount of $350,000 to support job training and placement. ¹² The Foundation gave further grants to organizations which advocate for left-of-center labor policies, like doubling the minimum wage. ¹³

The Abell Foundation has also given significant grants to left-of-center organizations in criminal justice reform and environmental policy. In 2019 alone, the Foundation gave $100,000 to the ACLU Foundation of Maryland, $50,000 to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and $20,000 to the Justice Policy Institute. ¹⁴ The Foundation is also involved in funding many left-wing environmentalist organizations, including giving $15,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund, $50,000 to the Environmental Integrity Project, and $60,000 to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). ¹⁵

People and Funding

Most of the Abell Foundation’s funding came from the 1986 sale of the Abell Company. ¹⁶ Current president Robert C. Embry, Jr. attended Harvard Law School before getting involved in Maryland local politics. ¹⁷ Embry served as a city councilman and as the head of the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development, before working in urban development for President Jimmy Carter’s administration. ¹⁸ He has been president of the Abell Foundation since the sale of the Abell Company in 1987. ¹⁹

1. “Baltimore Sun’s 2019 Business and Civic Hall of Fame Honoree: Robert C. Embry Jr.” Baltimoresun.com. June 07, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/hall-of-fame/bs-ed-hof-embry-20190516-story.html.
2. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history
3. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history.
4. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history.
5. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history.
6. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history.
7. “Financial Overview.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/financialoverview.
8. “Financial Overview.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/financial-overview.
9. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019.

   https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018.

10. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018
11. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019.

    https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018

12. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018
13. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018
14. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018
15. “2018 Grants.” The Abell Foundation. January 01, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/grants/archive/2018
16. “A Brief History.” The Abell Foundation. 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.abell.org/brief-history.
17. “Baltimore Sun’s 2019 Business and Civic Hall of Fame Honoree: Robert C. Embry Jr.” Baltimoresun.com. June 07, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/hall-of-fame/bs-ed-hof-embry-20190516-story.html.
18. “Baltimore Sun’s 2019 Business and Civic Hall of Fame Honoree: Robert C. Embry Jr.” Baltimoresun.com. June 07, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/hall-of-fame/bs-ed-hof-embry-20190516-story.html.
19. “Baltimore Sun’s 2019 Business and Civic Hall of Fame Honoree: Robert C. Embry Jr.” Baltimoresun.com. June 07, 2019. Accessed August 15, 2019. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/hall-of-fame/bs-ed-hof-embry-20190516-story.html.