Archive

This morning, Sheilah Kast interviewed OSI Director Danielle Torain on WYPR’s On the Record, talking about OSI’s COVID response, investing in underinvested Baltimore communities, and the 2020 cohort of OSI Community Fellows. On the Record recently completed its series of interviews with all 12 Fellows in the 2020 cohort. Last night, Torain participated in a […]

This week, the Baltimore Times launched a series called, “Baltimore Uprising: Have Things Changed or Remained the Same?” The series will feature community leaders reflecting on the uprising and its impact over the past five years. It is one of 13 community-based projects that OSI is supporting to mark the anniversary. Later this month, the […]

This morning at City Hall, Mayor Brandon Scott and other public officials held a press conference to talk about the implementation of the Elijah Cummings Healing City Act. OSI is collaborating with the city and providing substantial funding for Healing City Baltimore, which aims to unearth and reverse the causes of trauma in our city […]

Some of OSI’s Community Fellows and alumni ended 2020 on a high note. Below is a short roundup: In mid-December, the Baltimore Sun ran a feature on Troy Staton, of the 2020 Community Fellows cohort, and his project, More Than a Shop, which he launched in 2017 out of his Hollins Street barbershop to help […]

WYPR’s On the Record with Sheilah Kast continues its tradition of featuring the newest OSI Community Fellows. The interviews with the 2020 cohort kicked off on December 23rd with Isaiah Johnson and Elizabeth Finne. Isaiah’s project, The Greenmount East Leadership Project (GELP) aims to provide kids between 10 and 19 with positive activities and role […]

BALTIMORE—Community and philanthropic leaders have come together to launch B’More Invested, an exciting new strategy for community-centered grantmaking led by a partnership of Open Society Institute – Baltimore and Baltimore’s Promise. The B’More Invested Grant Advisory Committee, consisting of 24 Community Stakeholders and 10 Funders, will distribute $2.3 million in pooled, private capital to local […]

This morning, Mayor Brandon Scott announced his appointment of Acting City Solicitor Dana Moore as Baltimore’s first Chief Equity Officer, a cabinet-level position. According to the announcement, Moore “will work closely with the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer to ensure city government operates through a framework of equity across all agencies, boards, and commissions. She […]

Linda Panitz, a member of OSI’s Leadership Council and a longtime supporter of OSI and other justice-seeking organizations in Baltimore, died this week, according to an obituary in the Baltimore Sun. Panitz co-founded the Enterprise Women’s Network, which sought to “improve the quality of life for low-income women and children and advocated for educational enrichment […]

Today, Mayor Brandon Scott, Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, and Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) Director Catalina Rodriguez Lima announced the COVID-19: Prevención, Control y Respaldo (COVID-19: Prevention, Control, and Support) initiative “to mitigate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in the Latino community.” Part of the city’s response has been Emergency Relief for Immigrant Families (ERIF), […]

Yesterday, 2018 OSI Community Fellow Shelley Halstead, founder of Black Women Build-Baltimore, returned to the Kelly Clarkson Show to show off a house that she had just finished renovating with Bryanna, the new homeowner, who appeared with her.  In September, Halstead appeared on the show to talk about Black Women Build, which trains Black women […]