The France-Merrick Foundation's funding is aimed at increasing capacity of organizations to have a positive impact on lives and communities. The Foundation has six main areas of focus:
The Foundation funds within Maryland, with a particular focus on the Greater Baltimore area. The Foundation aims to help their neighbors maintain gains made in housing, health, education, and economic mobility, while also maintaining the vibrancy of Baltimore through the arts, the environment, historic preservation, and community development. To achieve this, they are committed to devoting significant grant funding to support the people, places, and work affected by recent funding cuts and public policy changes.
France-Merrick Foundation's funding is focused on project-oriented requests which have defined beginnings and endings which do not require ongoing financial support, as opposed to annual giving or operational support. These are one-time investments in capital projects, equipment, and technology. Given the context of rapid public change, the Foundation will prioritize shovel-ready projects, rather than supporting pre-development or providing early capital.
The Foundation does not provide funding for:
Organizations should send the Foundation a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). The LOI is the beginning of the Foundation's application process and is accepted on a rolling basis. Refer to the foundation website for more information on this process: https://www.france-merrickfdn.org/apply-for-a-grant/
Award amounts vary by project scope and size.