Baltimore Corps Receives $500,000 Donation from Patricia and Mark Joseph

Joseph investment is largest private donation in Baltimore Corps’ history

(BALTIMORE) – Today, Baltimore Corps announced that it received a $500,000 donation from philanthropists Patricia and Mark Joseph, The Shelter Foundation, to expand the organization’s programmatic footprint. More specifically, the Joseph donation will be used to grow Baltimore Corps’ Elevation Awards program, scale the Place for Purpose service and enhance the Fellowship’s impact.

“We have observed the work of Baltimore Corps for some time and have been highly impressed with their success and the important work they are doing, particularly in seeding city government with young talented people of color,” said the Josephs.

The programs supported through the Josephs’ investment contribute to Baltimore Corps’ mission to enlist talent to accelerate social innovation in Baltimore and advance a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice:

The Elevation Awards provide funding tailored to those with lived experience in Baltimore piloting novel approaches to strengthen city communities. The awards are designed to leverage the assets of communities, elevating community leaders with community solutions and supporting the early-stage pipeline of social entrepreneurs in Baltimore.
Place for Purpose is a year-round service connecting talented, mission-driven job seekers to social impact career opportunities.
Fellowship places individuals in social impact positions with Visionary Cause Leaders in the nonprofit, public and private sectors to effect systems-level change. It provides Fellows a yearlong cohort experience designed to provide professional development, networking and collaboration opportunities, and increased understanding of equity and racial justice.

“Over the last five years, Baltimore Corps has emerged as a best-in-class model for deploying human capital to tackle a city’s greatest challenges. The Josephs' five-year investment in Baltimore Corps will fuel even greater impact in our communities and further catalyze Baltimore’s next generation of leadership,” said Baltimore Corps President and CEO Fagan Harris.

“Mark and Patricia are longtime supporters of and contributors to the betterment of the Baltimore community,” said Baltimore Corps Board Chair Matt Gallagher. “This historic investment for Baltimore Corps will not simply impact the incoming cohort of Fellows and Awardees, but also serve as an investment in the community.”

The Josephs have an extraordinary track record of philanthropy. Their commitment to a stronger Baltimore, and years of dedicated leadership, has catalyzed greater impact at many of Baltimore's leading organizations such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore School of the Arts, College Bound, Thread and Teach for America. The Josephs’ investment in Baltimore Corps extends that legacy and strongly validates Baltimore Corps' track record of results and leadership in the community.

The Josephs’ commitment comes as Baltimore Corps is reviewing and matching applicants for its fifth Fellowship cohort, recruiting its third cohort of Elevation Awards grantees, expanding its Place for Purpose service to conduct executive searches in Baltimore’s social sector, and preparing to celebrate its fifth anniversary in service to the City of Baltimore.

Over the past five years, Baltimore Corps has grown from a single program – the Baltimore Corps Fellowship – to a series of programs and services that leverage Baltimore Corps’ core competency of building and deploying robust and diverse professional pipelines in social impact careers across Baltimore.

“Baltimore Corps is truly taking a lead role in changing the narrative of Baltimore at a time when the city is attracting a growing number of cause-minded young professionals. There is continued excitement about innovative efforts to challenge the status quo and approach old problems differently. This new investment will help Baltimore Corps do even more to help fuel that excitement throughout the City’s social sector,” said Baltimore Corps Board Member Charlene Moore Hayes.

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Baltimore Corps (baltimorecorps.org) enlists talent to accelerate social innovation in Baltimore and advance a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice.