Maryland Philanthropy Network (MPN)

Founding

In 1983, the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmaking (ABAG) was founded by twelve organizations with $47,500 in support from seven members. In the following year, the ABAG raised $480,000 with its members for grants. ²

Members

The Maryland Philanthropy Network has over 110 members including the Abell Foundation, the Baltimore Community Foundation, Bank of America, the Bernard Family Fund, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Elbow Fund, the Horizon Foundation, the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Osprey Foundation, Wells Fargo, and the Wright Family Fund. ³

Activities

The Maryland Philanthropy Network directs donor funds to a series of issue and organizational-based funds. The MPN hosts nine “issue-based funder affinity groups”: Aging, Arts, Community Investment, Education, Funders Together to End Homelessness – Baltimore, Green, Health, Prenatal to Five, and Workforce Development. ⁴

The MPN hosts two “founder roundtables”: Emergent Philanthropy and Impact Investors. ⁴

The MPN hosts three “member collaboratives”: the Baltimore Regional Anchor Collaborative, the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative, and the Maryland Community Foundations Association. ⁴

Nonprofit Support

The MPN provides fiscal sponsorships, hosting grantmaking collaboratives to direct funder support, and acts as a grant pass through. As of September 2024, the MPN is not accepting new applicants for “fiscal hosting.” ⁵

Ideology

Among its “values,” the Maryland Philanthropy Network lists “diversity” and “racial equity.” ¹

The MPN’s website claims that the organization acknowledges there are “deep-seated structural and racial inequities in our communities and across our country” and MPN plays a “role in perpetuating negative narratives and structures that help sustain these inequities.” Therefore, MPN further claims it will combat racial prejudices through its grantmaking and operations, including prioritizing hiring minority-owned vendors. ⁶

In 2016, the MPN created a formal “equity, diversity and inclusion” policy that included a mandate to add more racial minority employees and board members, increase grants to racial equity-related nonprofits, and hold annual evaluations of the organization’s racial equity progress. ⁷

Financials

In 2022, the Maryland Philanthropy Network raised $4,830,304 in revenue and spent $4,759,274, of which $2.2 million was spent on salaries. In addition to channeling the donations of member organizations, the MPN also gives its own grants. In 2022, it spent $481,200 on grants with recipients including the Kenneth Battye Charitable Trust, the Invest Detroit Foundation, the Greater Baybrook Alliance, the Black Women and Girls Fund, and Civic Works. ⁸

Funding

From 2020 through 2023, the MPN received 14 grants totaling over $1.5 million from the Open Society Foundations. ⁹

In 2024, the MPN received a $40,000 grant from the Blaustein Philanthropic Group. ¹⁰

Also in 2024, the MPN received a $25,000 grant from the Abell Foundation. ¹¹

In 2021, the MPN received a $200,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation for its Revolve Fund which gives interest free loans to racial minority-owned nonprofits. ¹²

Also in 2021, the MPN received a $60,000 grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. ¹³

Leadership

Daniste Hunte has been the president and chief executive officer of the Maryland Philanthropy Network since October 2023. She previously served as the executive director of Child First Authority where she “[prioritized] racial equity… and increased and diversified the [organization’s] budget and board.” ^{14 15}

Elisabeth Hyleck currently serves as the vice president of programs and philanthropy at the MPN and has worked at the organization in several roles since December 2020. Previously, Hyleck worked as a program assistant at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. ¹⁶

The MPN’s board includes employees of the Helen J. Serini Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Truist Foundation, the Blaustein Philanthropic Group, the Richman Foundation, and CareFirst. ¹⁷