2023 Spring Grants Portfolio

Community Grant

Funds that are intended to support a specific program, initiative, or other effort an organization runs or sponsors.

Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming, Inc

The Charles Koiner Conservancy (CKC) is a nonprofit land trust with an education purpose, headquartered in East Silver Spring at Koiner Farm—a one‐acre community‐led, production farm, serving an estimated 1,000 East Silver Spring residents annually. The mission of CKC is to protect and sustain urban farms that help inspire the next generation of conscious farmers and foodies. CKC’s vision is a robust network of community-led farms throughout the urban neighborhoods of Montgomery County, Maryland that establish closed-loop micro-food systems and give Montgomery County residents the ability to live healthy, sustainable, fulfilling lives regardless of their land ownership status.

Hillwood Manor Community Garden

Hillwood Manor Community Garden’s motto is: “We grow great neighbors!” The garden is located in what is likely an old red‐lined neighborhood in the boundary between Montgomery and Prince George’s County in a neighborhood where more than 16 languages are spoken, with a very wide range of economic, educational, gender, sexual orientation and citizenship statuses. Given this diversity, the garden’s goals include: building neighborhood cohesion and mutual support; celebrating difference; creating a sense of welcome and safety for all; showcasing organic, environmentally sustainable landscaping methods to promote a healthy habitat for people and the more‐than‐human world, and providing educational opportunities for children, youth and adults.

Piney Branch Elementary School PTA

The Piney Branch Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PBES PTA) is a volunteer‐led nonprofit organization made up of parents, caregivers, and teachers at PBES, working collaboratively with the school administration and staff to advance the mission of PBES and the support and success of all students and families in the school community. The PBES PTA seeks to make every PBES student’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. PBES PTA is committed to developing an inclusive and culturally‐responsive community through discussion, collaboration, action, and education. The PBES PTA (about 200 active members, and a community of about 600 students and their families served) works collaboratively with the TPES PTA and other local nonprofits as well as local business sponsors to support and meet the academic, emotional, and support service needs of the school community throughout the year.

Small Things Matter

Supported Project(s)/Needs Addressed Support for Kokua Foods, Books for Bedtime, and Crafting for Charity Programs

Small Things Matter is founded on the idea that small acts of kindness can make a big impact on someone’s life. Small Things Matter is committed to helping others in need through our food, literacy and charity crafting programs. Major programs include: Kokua Foods, which provides supplemental food to food insecure children and their families as well as individuals including the homeless, elderly, and disabled in Maryland; Books for Bedtime Literacy Program, which distributes books to children at Kokua; Crafting for Charity Program, which leads crafting workshops and charity birthday parties and the resulting handcrafted items are donated those in need; and Raising Leaders, in which teen members plan and run SMT events and in doing so develop strong leadership skills.

Takoma Park Community Band

Supported Project(s)/Needs Addressed Acquisition of Sheet Music and Promotional Materials

TPCB is a volunteer Band which provides music for various civic, recreational and social events in Takoma Park. The Band serves as a vehicle for individuals with a wide range of skill levels to assemble and hone their skills or reconnect with their past musical experiences. The Band consists of multi‐generations and is multi‐ethnic. The Band supports the PlayDays of Let’s Play America and the Takoma Park July 4 Parade and evening festivities.

Takoma Park Lunch and Learn Inc.

Takoma Park Lunch and Learn offers a valuable experience each summer to underserved children in Takoma Park, Maryland. Since 2013 Takoma Park Lunch and Learn has improved academic skills, built up physical well-being, shared the joy of extracurricular activities and served two nutritious meals a day—at no cost to the families. Takoma Park Lunch and Learn

Village of Takoma Park

The Village of Takoma Park, a mostly‐volunteer, grass roots organization of neighbors helping neighbors. The goal of the Village of Takoma Park is to provide intergenerational support to seniors (55+) and adults with disabilities who wish to live actively in the Takoma Park community. Though independent of both the City of Takoma Park and Montgomery County, the Village helps to promote and facilitate access to information about County and City services, and collaborates with the City and County in their efforts to serve residents aged 55+ as well as disabled residents of all ages, connecting them with resources, services and programs.

Solidarity Grant

Funds that are intended to help an organization function more effectively on the whole rather than supporting any single program or effort.

CREATE Arts Center

CREATE Arts Center’s mission is to spark creativity, foster learning, empower individuals and facilitate community connections through the visual arts. CREATE achieves its mission through quality arts education classes that engage all ages and levels of experience in the joy of art-making. CREATE is committed to broad-based, inclusive partnerships that help to inform our programming and decision-making so that we can better serve the needs of our very diverse community.

Justice Arts Coalition

Justice Arts Coalition (JAC) unites teaching artists, arts advocates, artists who are or have been incarcerated and their allies, harnessing the transformative power of the arts to reimagine justice. Through the sharing of resources, stories, and learning opportunities, JAC is building a nationwide collective of people who are committed to increasing opportunities for creative expression in carceral settings, amplifying the voices of those most impacted by mass incarceration, and shaping public dialogue around the intersection of the arts and justice. JAC has remained a grassroots, volunteer-led project throughout its recent transformation into a national nonprofit organization.

Tommy’s Pantry

Since March of 2020, Tommy’s Pantry community outreach has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of the families we serve. Based in lower Montgomery County, the organization proudly carries the name of the late Tommy Raskin, whose unwavering belief in ensuring human dignity remains the foundation of its mission. In 2021, on Tommy’s birthday, Tommy’s Pantry initiated the distribution of wellness boxes containing essential healthcare and cleaning items. Tommy’s Pantry stands as one of the few local aid organizations offering this crucial assistance. Together with the food items we provide, these products bring immeasurable relief, comfort, and joy, comfort, to countless local households.