The Baltimore Civic Fund is a nonprofit organization that serves as the fiscal sponsor for a wide array of projects and initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for residents of Baltimore, Maryland. The organization claims to foster public-private partnerships and support innovative approaches to the city’s most pressing challenges, particularly with an emphasis on the left-of-center concept of “equity.” ¹

Background

The Baltimore Civic Fund was established in 1981 by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer (D) to act as a bridge between the city of Baltimore, Maryland and private sector and nonprofit partners, and to provide fiscal sponsorship to community groups. ²

According to its website, Baltimore Civic Fund is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. ^{3 4 5} Until 2020, it was known as the Baltimore City Foundation. ⁶

Activities

The Baltimore Civic Fund supports a range of activities, which it asserts are designed to create sustainable community improvements. Its four self-described values are “stewardship, equity, innovation, and collaboration.” It describes its commitment to equity as the adopting of an “equity lens” which it applies to both its internal affairs and external partnerships. It also adds that it aims to “[challenge] conventional practices in philanthropy” and works with its partners to advance an “equitable Baltimore.” ⁷

Financials

In 2021, Baltimore Civic Fund reported a revenue of $20,554,138, expenses of $28,023,857, and net assets of $10,288,022. ⁸

Grantmaking

The Baltimore Civic Fund states that it provides funding to more than 100 projects, from large-scale city initiatives to smaller community programs, that aim to “enhance the quality of life of residents” of Baltimore. ⁹ It describes itself as “networkers and connectors” that create partnerships between businesses, communities, politicians, and nonprofit organizations. ¹⁰

On its 2021 tax return, BCF reported one collective grant titled as “subgrant” of $7,053,537, without specifying to which organizations the funds were directed. ¹¹

According to its website, BCF supports the following programs in the city of Baltimore: the Abortion Protection Fund, the African-American festival of AFRAM through the mayor’s office, the Baltimore Immigrant Community Fund, Civil Rights Week, Disconnected Youth That Squeegee, the Hardwood Community Association, the Rawlings Conservatory, the Journey Home Baltimore, and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development Youthworks. ¹²

Leadership

In 2021, Baltimore Civic Fund’s executive director and president was HyeSook Chung, whose total compensation for the year was $188,006. ¹³ According to her bio on the Fund’s website, Chung previously served as the deputy mayor for of Health and Human Services for Washington, D.C., where she expanded Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) welfare programs. Prior to that, she worked as the executive director of children’s advocacy group DC Action for Children. ¹⁴

As of 2024, BCF’s board of directors was comprised of the president of the T. Rowe Foundation John Brothers, the relationship development manager of Glass Jacobson Financial Group Byron T. Deese, the president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore Laurie Schwartz, assistant deputy mayor of Baltimore fir Equity, Health, and Human Services Alexandra Smith, and the director of finance and chief financial officer for the city of Baltimore Michael Mocksten (Moiseyev). ¹⁵

1. “What We Do.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/what-we-do.
2. “Who We Are.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/who-we-are.
3. “Donate.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/donate.
4. “Baltimore Civic Fund, Inc.” QGiv. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/dongen.
5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Baltimore Civic Fund. 2021.
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Baltimore City Foundation. 2019. Box C.
7. “Who We Are.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/who-we-are.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Baltimore Civic Fund. 2021. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
9. “Who We Are – Staff and Leadership.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/who-we-are.
10. “Our Impact.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/our-impact.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Baltimore Civic Fund. 2021. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
12. “Our Impact.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/our-impact.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Baltimore Civic Fund. 2021. Schedule J, Part II – Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees.
14. “Who We Are – Staff and Leadership.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/who-we-are.
15. “Board of Directors.” Baltimore Civic Fund. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/board-of-directors.