The Mayor's HBCU Fellowship Will Provide Recent Graduates Paid Employment With Baltimore City Government

BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, February 29, 2024) – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced a partnership with Baltimore Corp and Baltimore’s two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Coppin State University and Morgan State University, to launch the Mayor’s HBCU Fellowship Initiative. The ARPA-funded HBCU Fellowship Initiative is designed to create a pipeline for HBCU graduates to enter public service careers in local government.

Like many cities across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted minority communities, while simultaneously impacting Baltimore City government’s staffing levels. The City has taken a number of steps to retain staff in positions critical to government operations and to improve recruitment in harder-to-fill positions. For this partnership, the Department of Human Resources identified vacancies across key government agencies like the Baltimore City Health Department, Department of Finance, Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Transportation, and others that would potentially benefit from recent graduates from both under-graduate and graduate programs. If fellows are successful during their time in the fellowship, agencies will have the opportunity to transition those fellows into full-time permanent positions in Baltimore City government.

“Baltimore’s HBCUs, Morgan State University and Coppin State University, are incredibly important partners in our community and work tirelessly to bridge the opportunity gap for thousands of students,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The Mayor’s HBCU Fellowship will help expand employment opportunities for recent HBCU graduates while also helping us fill critical roles in city government by recruiting the best-in-class talent, educated right here in Baltimore. I am incredibly excited to continue expanding our collaboration with Coppin and Morgan State to support young people and our city through this initiative.”

The initiative will take on an initial twenty-five HBCU Fellows who will work at city government agencies for 9 months. They will also receive monthly professional development, training, mentoring, and coaching from Baltimore Corp and HBCU alumni in Baltimore City government. Recent graduates with a bachelor’s degree will be paid at a rate of $50,000 annually plus benefits, and participants with a graduate degree will be paid at a rate of $65,000 annually plus benefits. Additionally, all program participants will receive a one-time housing transition stipend of $1000 for rental or down payment assistance and a transportation stipend of up to $500.

The HBCU Fellowship initiative is funded with $4 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), utilizing a sum from the allocation for pending projects.

“This partnership with Mayor Brandon Scott is exciting, and innovative,” said Coppin State University President Anthony L. Jenkins. “At Coppin 70% of our students stay in Maryland after graduation; while 50% remain in Baltimore City. This HBCU Fellowship establishes pathways that expose our scholars to local government careers, and I am confident it can help retain even more talent right here in Baltimore City.”

“It is with great pride that Morgan, ‘Baltimore’s University’ and Maryland’s preeminent public urban research institution, will be a charter member of what is sure to be a transformative fellowship program. On behalf of the entire Morgan Community, we commend Mayor Scott for establishing Baltimore’s first HBCU Fellows initiative,” said Morgan State University President David K. Wilson. “This collaboration underscores Morgan's commitment as an anchor institution dedicated to advancing our city and region. By creating access pathways and offering experiential opportunities, this enriching fellowship not only fosters a pipeline of diverse talent into the public sector but also cultivates the next generation of leaders, who will undoubtedly contribute to our community's continued advancement and prosperity.”

“We passed the American Rescue Plan to provide our communities with the resources to address critical local needs,” said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). “This proposal to support our HBCU students and invest in a pipeline to public service is a win-win for Baltimore residents, and I’m glad to see the Mayor put forward this exciting new program.”

More on the initiative can be found on the City of Baltimore's website here. 

About the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided $641 million to the City of Baltimore in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Mayor Brandon M. Scott has established the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs to transparently and effectively administer this funding on behalf of the City. For additional information, visit the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs website at arp.baltimorecity.gov.