2021 Spring Grants Portfolio

Operational Support Grant

Funds that are intended to help an organization function more effectively on the whole rather than supporting any single program or effort.

Audelia Community Response Team

This Latinx-centered organization’s mission is to reinvigorate their underserved community by delivering essential goods and services to marginalized friends and neighbors. In response to COVID-19, ACRT orchestrate a variety of social services to those in Takoma,DC, Takoma Park, Langley Park, Long Branch, and East Silver Spring. They continue to help those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity by distributing food rescue packages, collecting and distributing essential items/clothing, and peer mentoring and tutoring after school programs. CRT provided critical wellness services through setting up pop-up, no cost COVID-19 testing sites, delivering care packages to impacted families, and staffing COVID-19 vaccination sites.

Difference Makers

Founded by Takoma Park Middle School students in 2009, their mission is “to change the world, one step at a time” by providing youth the opportunity to be impactful in their communities. For the 2019-2020 school year, this organization had more than 280 members in projects designed around awareness, advocacy, service, and philanthropy. They are creating the new generation of community volunteers Who design, plan, implement, and evaluate service projects to the community!

Direct Support for Immigrants

An all volunteer organization that works with immigrants in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties to connect them with available resources and provide direct emergency assistance when necessary. They also assist immigrants by learning and identifying ways to support them in overcoming those social, emotional, material, financial, and other challenges they currently face.

Food Justice DMV

An all-volunteers collective that serves 5000 documented and undocumented immigrants families in the DMV region who are least likely to benefit from the public safety net. They eliminate the barriers to food access for economically vulnerable families who may lack documentation to receive government support, transportation to pick up food from pantries, and internet access to apply for other support. They also supply other free services to support families seeking to provide stability and challenging times, including coaching to help navigate other sources of support and access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.

Let’s Play America

This National organization, found it in Takoma Park, encourages people of all ages to play. This vital part of the human experience grows relationships and builds communities and let’s play America encourages communities to create their own traditions of play. They sponsor play days around the community annually, and provide resources and guidance to encourage other communities, Organizations, and individuals to create locally-inspired, playful free, events.

Montgomery Blair High School - Without Borders/Sin Fronteras

A recently-formed student-led organization at Montgomery Blair high school that seeks to create a welcoming environment for students new to the school and/or new to the US, regardless of immigration status. They work in partnership with the national organization United We Dream, (active on many high school and college campuses), to support the educational goals of young people brought to the US as minors. They bring together recently-arrived immigrants with more-established classmates to engage in assistance and activism on behalf of undocumented youth.

Silver Chips

With the circulation of 3500+, the Blair High School, student-run, independent newspaper is dedicated to representing, defending, informing, and entertaining the community. In addition to these services it provides, silver chips it’s also used to stimulate learning in a variety of classroom settings, including building lesson plans for ESOL classes to help the students learn English. Especially during Covid, Silver Chips was essential to keeping the Blair H.S. community connected and engaged.