The CRAYON Fund

The CRAYON Fund (Cool Resources Accessible for Youth Opportunities in Neighborhoods) provides event-based micro-grants, up to $500, that support activities and projects that broaden resident participation in neighborhoods, provide youth enrichment, strengthen community ties, and develop leadership capacity in Central Baltimore. This grant fund has supported stoop nights, National Night Out, youth training opportunities, intergenerational events in community gardens and parks, as well as community organizing in response to the COVID pandemic. In the coming year, there will be an effort to align with the health and wellness-focused goals of the GLOW (Greenmount, Life, Opportunities, and Wellness) initiative.

Grant applicants must:

• Complete an application form (linked below), including responses to all narrative questions with event/activity description, a completed budget, and identification of community support, where possible.

• Meet the following organizational standing criteria: 1) hold tax-exempt status (501c3) or; 2) are fiscally-sponsored by an organization with 501c3 status or; 3) can be an organized community group with a group bank account.

• Be based in or serve one of the following communities: Barclay, Charles North, East Baltimore-Midway, Greenmount West, Harwood, Old Goucher, and Remington.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.  You can apply online or download the pdf application.

For more information, contact Aaron Kaufman, Community Projects Director, at akaufman@centralbaltimore.org or 443-681-7098 (office).