New grantmaking strategy relies on community members and funders to make decisions on grants BALTIMORE, MD – Launching an innovative approach to community-driven grantmaking, the B’more Invested initiative is awarding $1.5 million in grants to 10 nonprofit organizations that are led by people of color and involved with promising efforts to promote community safety and […]
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OSI Director joins CLLCTIVLY’s Jamye Wooten to discuss funding grassroots organizations
Friday, May 07, 2021On Wednesday, Jamye Wooten, CEO of CLLCTIVLY, “a place-based social change organization centering Black Genius, Narrative Power, Social Networks, and Resource Mobilization,” hosted an Instagram LIVE session on “The Importance of Funding Grassroots Organizations” with OSI-Baltimore Director Danielle Torain. Torain talked about the history of disinvestment, noting that, nationally, 8% of philanthropic investment goes to […]
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Future City focuses on trauma, harm reduction, and healing
Friday, May 07, 2021Last night’s episode of WYPR’s monthly show Future City focused on trauma. One segment included Mark Gunnery’s interview with Cam Kerr, Outreach Organizer and Syringe Service Provider for Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition (BHRC), which uses a trauma-informed approach to provide harm reduction services. OSI has worked closely BHRC and the BRIDGES Coalition, which advocates to establish […]
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2019 OSI Community Fellows “Close the Circle”
Tuesday, May 04, 2021On Friday, the OSI-Baltimore Community Fellows community gathered virtually to honor the 2019 cohort of Community Fellows, marking the official end of their 18-month Fellowships and the beginning of their membership in the 200-plus Community Fellowships Network. “As you know, once you are an OSI Fellow, you are always welcomed as part of the OSI […]
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OSI’s Danielle Torain talks to Joe Jones as part of The Journey Home’s Care-a-Thon
Tuesday, April 27, 2021On Friday, OSI Director Danielle Torain sat down to talk to Center for Urban Families CEO Joe Jones, who is also Vice Chair of OSI’s Advisory Board, about their lives as Baltimore natives working to improve the lives of fellow Baltimore residents. The conversation, which you can watch below, was part of The Journey Home’s […]
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Reimagining the justice system through a restorative lens
Tuesday, April 27, 2021Last week, OSI’s Tara Huffman participated in a Community of Practice conversation hosted by Healthcare for the Homeless on the topic, “Reimagining Restorative Justice through the Lens of Eliminating Structural Racism.” Other panelists included Baltimore City Police Department Lieutenant Colonel Monique Brown, Baltimore City Councilman John T. Bullock, and Morgan State University Associate Professor Kevin […]
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OSI-Baltimore partners with The Rockefeller Foundation on Campaign to Increase Covid-19 Vaccination Rates among Communities of Color
Tuesday, April 13, 2021Baltimore among Five U.S. Cities Selected by Rockefeller to Help Meet its National Equity Vaccination Goal of 70 Million Vaccinations to People of Color by July (Read the Baltimore Sun story on the Baltimore Equitable Vaccination Initiative) BALTIMORE | April 13, 2021 – The Rockefeller Foundation has selected Baltimore as one of five pilot cities […]
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OSI welcomes new Advisory Board members Catalina Rodriguez-Lima and Kenneth Jones
Thursday, April 08, 2021This week, the OSI-Baltimore Advisory Board officially added two new members, Catalina Rodriguez-Lima and Kenneth Jones. Catalina Rodriguez Lima is the Founding Director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) in Baltimore City and a longstanding member of OSI’s Leadership Council. As Director of MIMA, Catalina is responsible for promoting community well-being, economic development, […]
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Advocates talk to WYPR about harm reduction during COVID and the prospect of overdose prevention sites in Maryland
Wednesday, March 31, 2021This morning, WYPR’s On the Record with Sheilah Kast hosted Ricky Morris and Samantha Kerr of Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition and the BRIDGES Coalition, both OSI-Baltimore grantees, to discuss their experiences providing harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of establishing overdose prevention sites in Baltimore. Listen here. There are currently two […]
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OSI asks Maryland Daily Record to remove dehumanizing language
Tuesday, March 23, 2021UPDATE: The story has been updated. The opening sentence now reads: The Maryland Senate passed legislation Thursday night that would prohibit juveniles convicted of rape and murder from being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. — Yesterday, the Maryland Daily Record published a story, “Md. Senate approves ban on juvenile life […]
