Inside Bcf: A Podcast From The Baltimore Community Foundation

Over the course of the last three years, BCF has been listening and developing a way to fund organizations that address issues affecting young Baltimoreans who identify as LGBTQ. The result is the LGBTQ Fund at BCF. Join LGBTQ Fund advisory committee co-chair Frank McNeil and member Alice Young as they give us an overview of goals of the fund and its recent grant recipients.

After months of work, the Kirwan Commission has released its cost estimates and a draft funding formula that would allow the state of Maryland and its local school districts to pay for the improvements needed to provide a world-class education to all students. On Oct. 30, Strong Schools Maryland's Joe Francaviglia will join us to break down the funding formula and the path towards implementing Kirwan.    

Trauma has reached buzzword status in the media. But what is trauma, and how do schools help children deal with the trauma they have experienced? On Sept. 24, we'll sit down with Tiffany July-Lindo and Audry Motlagh-Harvey to talk about trauma, how it's defined, and what Judy Centers are doing to help children experiencing trauma.   

In a Baltimore Sun op-ed published July 29, BCF's Patti Chandler and RBC Global Asset Management's Catherine Banat advocated for a regional economic development plan that aligns with the unique needs of the Baltimore community. The writers join us August 16 to discuss how such a plan might provide a road map to economic success.

We're sitting down with Cheryl Casciani, the outgoing president of the board of commissioners of the Baltimore City Public Schools (she's also BCF director of special projects). She'll reflect on the challenges and successes during her tenure, and look to the future.

The Baltimore Women's Giving Circle is a major grantmaking force in Baltimore. With over 450 members, the Circle has made $5.3 million in grants to organizations that focus on promoting self-sufficiency for women and their families in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

Judy Centers bring together community resources to help families get their children ready for kindergarten, and Baltimore's Judy Centers have been showing success in improving school readiness. Researchers from the Baltimore Education Research Consortium are beginning to release their results from a recent study of Judy Centers. What have they found?  We talk about the study with Dr. Jeffrey Grigg of BERC and Crystal Francis of Baltimore City Schools.  

Maryland's lawmakers approved legislation last year that requires the Maryland Transit Administration to lay out a long-term plan for the region. What does that mean? On January 29, we'll sit down with the Central Maryland Transportation to find out how this plan is progressing.

BCF recently commissioned a report on equity and school funding in Maryland from The Education Trust which shows deep gaps in funding across Maryland, particularly in districts that serve students of color. We're sitting down with Robert Ruffins of The Education Trust on December 20 to discuss the report and how equity can be included in the effort to reform education in Maryland.   View the report here.  

A donor-advised fund is a convenient and powerful used by many BCF donors carrying out their charitable giving plans. But how do they work? We'll sit down with Robert Waldman, co-managing partner at Venable LLP, and Jenn Farrell, BCF donor services officer, to talk  in detail about donor-advised funds.  

How do strong school leaders affect academic achievement? We discuss that with Roxanne Forr, Baltimore City Schools Director of Principal Leadership Development and Marc Martin, principal of the Commodore John Rodgers School.

Margaret Williams, executive director of the Maryland Family Network, is an expert on early childhood education and development. She also is a member of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, Maryland's panel working on new policies and funding structures aimed at improving Maryland's public education system. We'll sit down to talk about why investing in early childhood education programs is essential to ensuring Maryland's students will be successful in life.

Shanaysha Sauls, BCF's President & CEO, will tell us about BCF's strategic plan. We'll dive into how BCF will be approaching engagement, fundraising and grantmaking three and a half years. 

Middle Grades Partnership (a BCF initiative) and its nine public and independent school partnerships provide exceptional programming balancing enrichment with skill development while bringing students together to address issues of race, class, and opportunity. But how does a partnership actually work? We'll sit down with a partnership director to learn more.  

A review of BCF's investment objectives and strategies including a new strategy: investing for impact, plus induction of new members to the Professional Advisor Recognition Society

It may not feel like it, but summer will soon be here. And that means it's time for summer camp. On April 20, we're sitting down to talk summer camp and the Children's Fresh Air Society Fund at BCF. We'll explain why and how the fund helps Baltimore kids go to camp, and we'll talk to one camp director about what's on the schedule this summer.

The Maryland General Assembly's session is in full swing and BCF is advocating on a number of public policy issues, including education, transportation and philanthropy. We join BCF's Keisha Leverette and Kevin Griffin Moreno as they discuss our advocacy priorities.

Baltimore Beyond Plastic is a youth-led effort to reduce solid waste pollution in our city. The youth who lead the effort are supported in part by BCF. Why empower youth to lead sustainability initiatives? Join us live on Facebook on February 20 as we examine the answer to that question and more.

Many residents in some of Baltimore's most centrally-located neighborhoods suffer from the longest commute times to jobs in the state. Why is this? For our monthly 20-Minute Update on January 18, we sit down with The Transportation Alliance's Brian O'Malley to talk about why some communities are disconnected from economic opportunity.

For two decades, BCF's Neighborhoods Grants Program has been providing residents with financial support to complete projects in their neighborhood that develop leaders, mobilize neighbors, and beautify blocks. Maya Smith and Kevin Griffin Moreno sit down and discuss this successful program.