The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund believes that arts and culture play a central role in the development and growth of healthy individuals and thriving communities and commits its resources to promote and sustain a vibrant arts and culture sector in metropolitan Baltimore.
Donor Name: Baltimore Community Foundation
State: Maryland
City: Baltimore
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/26/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Its grants support organizational effectiveness, promote local artists and their work, and provide cultural experiences that welcome people of all backgrounds, enhance residents’ lives, and strengthen the region’s sense of cohesion and identity.
Objectives
- Enrich metropolitan life
- Support diverse and lively artistic and cultural environments through grants that reward a commitment to excellence, a unique and compelling vision, and mastery of craft
- Support civic engagement through arts and culture
- Ensure that programs are inclusive and outreach efforts broad
- Sustain a healthy cultural ecosystem
- Provide funding opportunities to strengthen the programs and practices of arts and cultural organizations from small organizations to the area’s largest institutions and initiate and sponsor an artist portfolio site and associated awards initiative that supports and promotes local artists through a nonprofit intermediary.
Funding Priorities
- Strengthening Organizational and Artistic Practices
- Capacity programs to improve internal organizational and management practices—including board training, strategic planning, fundraising and marketing expertise, budgeting and financial planning, program planning, staff professional development, technology upgrades and training and operating support for key partners.
- With submission of a full proposal, qualified applicants may apply for a working capital reserve or fixed asset replacement reserve fund grant requiring a 1:1 match.
- Occasional capacity requests from metropolitan arts magnet schools
- Professional development programs for the benefit of practicing Baltimore artists
- Small grants for facility enhancements
- Inclusive, Innovative Programming Initiatives and Projects to Engage New Audiences
- Innovative programming initiatives and projects from organizations with budgets larger than $75,000 to present or exhibit artistic and cultural works that will deepen audience engagement or engage new audiences.
- Small grants (up to $2,500) to present or exhibit artistic and cultural works that will deepen audience engagement or engage new audiences. Eligibility: organizations with budgets under $75,000 which operate as nonprofits or are under the auspices of a fiscal agent and individuals using a fiscal sponsor. Application Process: History of presenting organization, description of project, most recent year-end organizational budget, project budget, Data Arts Profile in Baker format, and IRS Determination Letter. Letter of Inquiry required. Applications accepted year-round.
- Non-profit programs that commission original works of art, performances and exhibitions of regional artists to be presented for the benefit of metropolitan Baltimore audiences
- Cultural Sector Collaboration
- Strategic alliances that support collaboration and cooperation across the cultural community and strengthen organizational abilities to work at the highest levels.
Funding Information
Typical grant award: $10,000.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for a William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund grant, applicants must:
- Be a cultural organization (or a fiscal agent) serving the Baltimore area that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, political persuasion, age, physical handicap, gender or sexual orientation.
Ineligibility
The Baker Fund does not generally support the following types of requests:
- Arts programs and projects that use the arts as a mechanism to achieve other ends, such as community development, health, social justice, arts education or youth development objectives
- Multi-year funding, annual appeals, event sponsorships, capital (except for its Working Capital or Fixed Asset Replacement Reserve Fund Programs) or endowment campaigns
- Replacement of decreased public sector funds
- Services outside the greater Baltimore area.
For more information, visit BCF.
