Dedicated to the co-production of public safety in all of Baltimore’s neighborhoods, MONSE will partner with Baltimore’s residents, community-based organizations, institutions, businesses, and agencies to stem the tide of violence, while simultaneously unearthing its root causes. 

As part of this work, MONSE has committed to making both direct and competitive grant awards as part of the $50 million ARPA investment that Mayor Brandon M. Scott allocated to the public safety agency in 2021 to support community-based organizations and other institutional partners working to co-produce public safety in Baltimore. 

At this time, there are no active applications for grants made by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. 

ARPA Competitive Grants

Due to availability of funds, MONSE will not accept new letters of interest for ARPA-funded grants. Future grant opportunities will be shared on this website and via email. Sign up here to receive email updates, including for when new grant opportunities become available. 

Click to Access MONSE's Online Grants Portal

FAQ

Funding Priorities
 

Neighborhood Policing Plans

On May 15, 2023, the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for neighborhood associations across Baltimore to participate in the City’s upcoming Neighborhood Policing Plan (NPP) cohort for Fiscal Year 2024.

MONSE has set aside $250,000 through the agency's ARPA allocation for selected neighborhoods to implement individually-tailored public safety strategies in their respective communities. 

In alignment with the requirements of the consent decree, MONSE and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) have committed to working with neighborhoods to create Neighborhood Policing Plans that address the challenges identified by residents in the neighborhoods in which they live. These plans connect residents to City and community-based resources to address both immediate violence in their neighborhoods and quality of life issues including blight, lack of resources in the community, and outstanding requests for City services. 

Community Violence Intervention 

Programs that apply a localized approach to gun violence prevention. Safe Streets Baltimore is an example of a CVI program. 

In June 2021, the Biden-Harris administration released a Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety. A cornerstone of the plan is investing in evidence-based community violence interventions, or CVIs — the first time in history a U.S. president is working to operationalize the co-production of public safety with local communities. Mayor Scott was asked to join a collaborative, along with 15 other Mayors, to expand this work. CVIs are effective because they utilize credible messengers to directly resolve conflicts, intervene before violence occurs, and connect people to needed resources. 

Victim Services 

Every shooting or violent incident leaves behind a web of trauma – for the victim, as well as bystanders, families, neighbors, and even the perpetrators of violence. Particularly in Baltimore’s Black neighborhoods, which have borne the brunt of gun violence over decades, this trauma has been compounded year after year, incident after incident. Victim services must be a priority in Baltimore’s public safety strategy. To be effective, services must be intentionally coordinated with a trauma-informed approach. The Scott administration’s approach to the work of victim/survivor support will be done in ways that acknowledge the varied and unique needs of victims of violence across their life span and lived experiences. 

Youth Justice 

Historically, Baltimore has over-invested in punitive approaches when young people act out or make a mistake. Mayor Scott has named Prioritizing Our Youth as a cornerstone of his administration’s strategy for a safer, accountable, and equitable Baltimore. The Mayor has committed that the City will do more to invest in the promise of young Baltimoreans, rather than their failure. In Baltimore, Black youth are overrepresented in the youth justice system. The Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) data for Fiscal Year 2020 illustrates the problem. Out of the six DJS regions, Baltimore saw the highest percentage of intake into DJS among Black youth at 95.6 percent. Complaints were formalized or referred to the DJS court for more than 80 percent of youth in Baltimore. This exceeds the statewide rate of formalization, which is 38.9 percent. Simply stated, Baltimore is two times more likely than the surrounding counties to introduce its young people to the criminal justice system. 

Community Healing 

Mayor Scott recognizes the prevalence of trauma in communities experiencing high incidents of gun violence, as well as the impacts of untreated trauma and re-traumatization. The City will work in support of and in alignment with Healing City Baltimore and similar local efforts to integrate trauma-informed approaches and build community capacity for self-healing. 

Re-entry 

Most people who have been incarcerated in Maryland state prisons return home to Baltimore City after serving time. In Fiscal Year 2020, 2,040 residents returned to Baltimore communities from state prisons and the Baltimore City Pre-Trial Complex. Looking at projections over the next six years, Baltimore City is expected to welcome back an average of 2,400 people per year. Baltimore must do a better job of providing services to people returning home from prison. This work must start prior to release. Mayor Scott believes that if we know who will be returning home from prison and when, we can be more intentional about how we tailor support so that returning residents do not re-offend, return to prison, or find themselves unable to make ends meet. 

Other Opportunities

Baltimore’s Community Grants Program: The Mayor’s Office partners with the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to award grants of up to $10,000 to small neighborhood-based non-profits that provide direct services to Baltimore residents and families. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Baltimore Community Foundation's Neighborhood Grants Program: BCF’s Mobilization Grants give residents the resources they need to accomplish a small project, get more people involved, and encourage the next generation of neighborhood leaders.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Charitable Giving: Offers greening grants and continues to provide funding for local neighborhood non-profits.

Baltimore Promotion of the Arts Grants: Provide resources for neighborhoods looking to partner with artists or to work on arts-related projects. Various grants are available.

Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program: Led by John Hopkins University, the fellowship program pays neighborhood leaders 20% of their normal salary to develop their capacity-building skills. Target neighborhoods are located around the Eastern and Western core neighborhoods. Applications are accepted in the Fall.

Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Small Grants Program: Provides funding for Hopkins graduate students and faculty interested in partnering with community groups and/or community leaders. Grant amounts range from $2,000 to $10,000 and applications are accepted two times per year.

InFusion Community Grants: Fusion Partnerships awards grants between $500 and $2000 to selected East Baltimore neighborhoods for projects led by neighborhood residents. Applications are accepted in the Spring.

John Hopkins Neighborhood Fund: Gives funding to community-based non-profits community revitalization, education, employment, health, and public safety. Applicants must be located within the John Hopkins campus area and have an affiliation to the Johns Hopkins school. Applications are due in Winter.

Additional Tips

• Reach out to local businesses for food and other types of in-kind donations.
• Visit  Enoch Pratt Free Library virtually or in-person to access their database and professional development classes. 
• Reach out to local organizations, banks, and other financial institutions located in your neighborhood for contributions.
• Use your event as a fundraiser. Note that fundraiser events require additional permitting requirements.

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