Campaign for Citywide Service to Prove that “Baltimore is the Best Place in the World to Change the World”

BALTIMORE, MD. (Friday, January 14, 2022) — In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore Corps, joined by more than a dozen local and national program and philanthropic partners, announced the Campaign for Citywide Service: a three-year, $30 million campaign to create thousands of full-time service opportunities in Baltimore City. The Campaign for Citywide Service represents one of the nation’s largest, place-based efforts to enlist the community in strengthening social and economic mobility and ensuring their neighbors – especially those most underserved – can thrive.

Baltimore Corps’ mission is to advance social innovation and a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice in Baltimore City. During almost 10 years of impact, Baltimore Corps has operated dozens of programs connecting talented leaders in the community to powerful service opportunities across the city, including the Baltimore Corps Fellowship, Civic Innovators, the Elevation Awards, and Kiva-Baltimore. In partnership with Baltimore City, Baltimore Corps has empowered the Community Technology Fellowship and Youthworks EDGE.

“The Campaign for Citywide Service continues the important work that Baltimore Corps, my Administration, and so many others have been doing engaging Baltimoreans to serve in our communities and play a central role in shaping a new way forward for our city,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Baltimore Corps has been a steadfast partner in operationalizing our shared vision for a better, more equitable, and thriving city. Only together can we realize our shared vision for Baltimore’s future.”

The Campaign for Citywide Service convenes a constellation of local and national partners, including the Mayor’s Office and the City Council, which will work collaboratively to elevate Baltimore as a national leader in community service.

“With this announcement, Baltimore is truly ‘the city that serves’,” exclaimed Fagan Harris, the president and CEO of Baltimore Corps. “We are proud to work with Mayor Scott, the City Council, as well as our local, and national, program partners to broaden, and expand, our definition of service to affirmatively include those returning home from incarceration, artists and activists, community health workers, and more. The Campaign will not only change the lives of those who serve but the thousands impacted by their service.”

The Citywide Service Campaign will stand-up new public service fellowship models in Baltimore City, including the H.O.P.E. Fellowship, a-first-of-its-kind fellowship designed to connect returning citizens to service opportunities in the community.

“A chronic lack of resources has created the pathway to over incarcerate our communities,” said Antoin Quarles El, CEO of H.O.P.E Baltimore. “The H.O.P.E Fellowship develops opportunities for those impacted by the justice system to promote the ultimate goal of creating community, and a network, dedicated to advancing pathways for economic and social reform to eliminate injustice and remove the barriers that oppress communities in Baltimore. This will build a legacy of change and a community of hope.”

All programs will recruit city residents into impactful service opportunities. The Campaign will also partner with local anchor institutions including Morgan State University and Coppin State University to recruit next generation leaders into service.

Campaign program partners include:

1. Baltimore City Council
2. Baltimore City Mayor’s Office
3. Baltimore City Office of Information & Technology (BCIT)
4. Catalyte
5. Foster America
6. FUSE Corps
7. Government Performance Lab
8. Healing City Baltimore
9. HOPE Baltimore
10. Johns Hopkins Medicine
11. Lead for America
12. Public Rights Project
13. The People Lab
14. Retrain America

“Baltimore Corps is a tremendous example of an organization that lives into its values of equity and opportunity for Baltimore. Their commitment to improving the welfare of our city and its residents can be seen through innovative partnerships like our City Council Fellows,” said Baltimore City Councilmember Zeke Cohen. “I can tell you, firsthand, that these Baltimore Corps Fellows are some of the smartest, most passionate and committed young professionals I've seen entering the Baltimore workforce. I am so excited for the Campaign for Citywide Service and the impact these partnerships will have.”

As part of the Campaign, Baltimore Corps will work with anchor institutions across the city to recruit community members of all ages into frontline service opportunities, especially in healthcare and public health.

“FUSE is excited to support the work of City leaders and community organizations in Baltimore by providing a unique pathway into public service for experienced professionals,” said James Weinberg, CEO of FUSE Corps. “This collaboration will bring additional leadership capacity to help accelerate key initiatives that are advancing equity and serving the community.”

The Campaign is funded through a combination of public and private sources, including a $1 million gift by the former Chairman of T. Rowe Price, George Roche.

Previously, Baltimore Corps and Baltimore City collaborated to architect and execute the Baltimore Health Corps, a public-private partnership that mobilized nearly $15 million to hire over 300 contact tracers and care coordinators at the outset of the pandemic. The Baltimore Health Corps has become a national model for equitable hiring in the public and social sector, and has inspired similar efforts at the federal and state level.

“The COVID pandemic has served as a clarion call to public service for so many in our community,” said Alicia Wilson, vice president for economic development, Johns Hopkins University and Health System. “We are fortunate that so many across Baltimore have answered that call to service through tireless and impactful work in public health, food access support, and education, to name a few. This effort to scale service opportunities here in Baltimore positions Baltimore to be the national leader in producing and fostering our brilliant, committed, and selfless residents to be at the forefront of the most impactful work that could be done during this time in history.”

To learn more about the Campaign, please visit https://www.baltimorecorps.org/citywide-service.

To get involved and to share your story and commitment to service, please visit https://serviceforall.org.