ANNAPOLIS, MD—Gov. Wes Moore announced the inaugural grant awardees of the Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households (ENOUGH) initiative on Dec. 12. The $13.1 million in grants will fund 27 organizations across all 12 statutorily eligible counties. These grants are part of a larger $20 million investment to support communities most in need as they work together to develop solutions to deeply rooted challenges.

“We know that there are many root causes of child poverty — and the solutions are unique to the challenges on the ground,” said Gov. Moore. “So we are directly partnering in the work to create safe and thriving communities; support healthy and economically secure families; and ensure access to high-quality education. Because partnership produces progress — and nothing else does.”

The ENOUGH initiative is a novel, community-based strategy to address concentrated child poverty in Maryland. The initiative brings together a diverse group of organizations, including community-based organizations, local government agencies, community schools, and other local entities. The organizations involved represent rural, urban, and suburban communities across western and eastern Maryland. These recipients will collaborate with a coalition of partners across the public and private sectors.

“ENOUGH brings together government, philanthropy, and community in an effort to build meaningful partnerships to address the critical challenges faced by too many families across the state,” said Governor’s Office for Children Special Secretary Carmel Martin. “Governor Moore made clear his vision to leave no one behind, and the Governor’s Office for Children is thrilled to work with the Children’s Cabinet to ensure an all of government approach to providing support and resources to the inaugural grantees as we collectively work to eradicate child poverty and create a better, more equitable future for all of Maryland’s children.”

The ENOUGH grant recipients were chosen through a competitive process. Each application was evaluated using objective criteria, including community engagement, collaboration experience, governance structure, progress monitoring capacity, proposed activities, evidence-based strategies, and sustainability.

“Child poverty is a public policy choice and today’s announcement marks a major milestone in the fight against child poverty. Too often, children living in under-resourced neighborhoods face enormous barriers to success and their futures are discounted simply because of the ZIP code from which they come from,” said Harlem Children’s Zone Founder and President and William Julius Wilson Institute Founder Geoffrey Canada. “I applaud Governor Moore and the Maryland legislature for recognizing that the community organizations who will receive funding and resources will take an important step to ensure that children are better positioned to succeed in adulthood. Maryland’s children cannot afford to wait.”

The ENOUGH initiative has three phases of development. As communities continue to work with the grant funding, they will have the opportunity to apply for additional funding in future cycles.

In the first phase, grantees will receive funding and technical assistance from Local Management Boards to enhance their capacity to address the root causes of poverty at the community level. These activities may include building capacity for place-based work, strengthening community engagement, and forming partnerships across various sectors, such as education, health, workforce, housing, public safety, and community development. The shared goal of these partnerships is to end childhood poverty. Local Management Boards received five million dollars in support.

During the second phase, grantees will work with partners, such as nonprofits, anchor institutions, schools, local governments, unions, philanthropic organizations, and residents, to conduct community asset mapping and needs assessments. The goal of this phase is to create a neighborhood action plan to end child poverty tailored to local needs and resources.

In the third phase, grantees will implement approved strategies that address the three ENOUGH pillars: cradle to career education, healthy and economically secure families, and safe and thriving communities. Grantees will also engage in ongoing progress monitoring, community engagement, and continuous improvement activities. To ensure the long-term sustainability of their strategic vision, grantees will develop plans to secure and leverage additional funding streams.

“I am grateful for the vision and courage of Governor Wes Moore, and for the hard work of the Governor’s Office for Children in bringing to life this great investment in self-determination for Maryland’s communities,” said Cherry Hill Strong Founding Executive Director Zeevelle Nottingham-Lemon. “This award will support implementation of the community’s plan for transformation, helping to sustain the years of groundwork necessary for our success. Most importantly, it allows us to do this work in a way that is true to our values. We will center Cherry Hill residents–working together to make sure neighbors are not displaced as the community improves, but that our neighbors are able to benefit from the community’s transformation.”

Grantees, with support from the Governor’s Office for Children and partners, will begin their work in early January. The Governor’s Office for Children will offer support for ENOUGH communities, including hands-on coaching from local and national experts. State agencies will additionally support ENOUGH communities with funding and technical assistance.

“We believe in a Frederick County where everyone can thrive while enjoying a strong sense of place and belonging,” said Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater. “By giving us better tools to fight concentrated poverty, the ENOUGH initiative will take us one step closer to making that vision a reality for all of our residents.”

“I am thrilled to congratulate our Baltimore City community based organizations including Cherry Hill Strong, South Baltimore Community Land Trust, and Park Heights Renaissance on being a part of the first cohort of the ENOUGH initiative from Governor Moore and the Governor’s Office of Children,” said Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter. “This is a transformative step forward–what began as a tragedy has now become a powerful movement for change. These funds will fuel our continued work to create safer, stronger, and more resilient neighborhoods. Together, we are turning pain into progress and building a brighter future for our children and families.”

The organizations receiving implementation grants of approximately $3 million each are Cherry Hill Strong in Cherry Hill, Baltimore City; Park Heights Renaissance Inc. in Park Heights, Baltimore City; and San Mar Family & Community Services in the South End of Hagerstown, Washington County.

Select communities and ENOUGH grant awardees include:

Implementation Award Recipients (approximately $3 million each):

• Cherry Hill Strong (Cherry Hill, Baltimore City)
• Park Heights Renaissance Inc. (Park Heights, Baltimore City)
• San Mar Family & Community Services (South End, Hagerstown, Washington County)

Planning Award Recipients ($300,000 each)

• Anne Arundel Partnership for Children, Youth and Families (Pumphrey / Brooklyn Park, Anne Arundel County)
• Child First Authority (Druid Heights, Upton and Westside, Baltimore City)
• Elev8 Baltimore, Inc. (Sandtown Winchester and Harlem Park, Baltimore City)
• South Baltimore Community Land Trust (Brooklyn and Curtis Bay, Baltimore City)
• The Central Baltimore Partnership, Inc. (Greater Greenmount, Baltimore City)
• The Y in Central Maryland (Waverly, Baltimore City)
• Moving Dorchester Forward Inc (Cambridge / South Dorchester, Dorchester County)
• Frederick County Local Management Board (Route 40 “The Golden Mile”, Frederick County)
• CHEER – Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (Long Branch, Montgomery County)
• Identity, Inc. (Central Gaithersburg, Montgomery County)
• Latin American Youth Center (East Riverdale / Adelphi, Prince George’s County)
• United Communities Against Poverty (District Heights and Suitland, Prince George’s County)

Partnership Award Recipients ($65,000 each)

• City of Cumberland (South Penn and John Humbird, Allegany County)
• One Annapolis, Inc. (Bay Ridge Gardens, Anne Arundel County)
• Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council (Greater Mondawmin, Baltimore City)
• Tendea Family Inc. (McElderry Park, Baltimore City)
• Urban Strategies Inc. (Perkins Somerset Oldtown, Baltimore City)
• We Our Us (Upton & Druid Heights, Baltimore City)
• Community Assistance Network (Essex, Baltimore County)
• Caroline Human Services Council, Inc. (Federalsburg, Caroline County)
• LifeStyles of Maryland Foundation, Inc. (Waldorf, Charles County)
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford and Cecil Counties (Edgewood, Harford County)
• CASA, Inc. (Langley Park, Prince George’s County)
• Prince George’s Department of Social Services (Hillcrest Heights and Marlow Heights, Prince George’s County)

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.