Philanthropy Tank Baltimore, launched in Baltimore in 2019 to empower the next generation to enact change in their own communities, is now accepting applications from Baltimore City students for its second cohort of CHANGEmakers.
“We were amazed and impressed by our first cohort of CHANGEmakers,” said Joann Levy, executive director of Philanthropy Tank Baltimore. “The social impact programs that have come out of Philanthropy Tank in its inaugural year were personal and envisioned to solve real-life issues that students face daily. In just one year in Baltimore, and after six years in Florida, we have seen, first-hand what happens when young people are empowered, supported and mentored.”
Philanthropy Tank utilizes a unique program model to challenge and equip students by providing funding of up to $15,000 and mentor support to implement sustainable service-driven solutions to problems affecting their communities. In its first year in Baltimore, Philanthropy Tank funded eight programs which engaged over 20 Baltimore City students from 13 different high schools across the city and provided $91,500 in funding to support the implementation of their programs.
“In Baltimore we are often seen as nothing more than troublemakers, but Philanthropy Tank has helped to make us something more,” said Tayla Chambers, student at Baltimore City College High School and partner in the Play Your Way Initiative program. “The experience so far has been really positive; we’ve been given the support to better our community and we already see it paying off.”
Despite navigating the ongoing pandemic, each student team has made immense progress in just over three months since the finals event in November. Memory Creation, a garden to commemorate loved ones lost to gun violence; Birds Eye View Podcast, a forum for teens to discuss pertinent issues and their solutions; Explo Foods, the creation of a hydroponic garden to distribute fresh produce to the community, and others are working with Philanthropist Mentors who come from the Baltimore business and nonprofit communities and have experience at organizations like Brown Capital Management, Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Dream BIG Foundation, and others.
“I’ve enjoyed working with my student mentees and seeing their creativity, problem-solving skills, and commitment to helping their community,” said Stephanie Amponsah, vice president of Dream BIG Foundation and one of five mentors to Philanthropy Tank’s first cohort of CHANGEmakers. “So much is possible when students are supported and empowered to create change.”
To apply to Philanthropy Tank Baltimore, students must be enrolled in the eighth to 12th grade within Baltimore City and submit a program idea as an individual or team with up to four students that directly addresses a social issue within the city.
Once the application round closes in August, a panel of business and nonprofit community leaders will select the semi-finalists and then the Philanthropist Mentors will select the finalists. The finalists then work alongside a team of coaches from the community to sharpen their presentation skills and build confidence. Each team will present personal stories, goals and budgets with hopes of securing the necessary funding and mentorship to implement their social impact program.
Theo C. Rodgers, chairman and chief executive officer of A&R Development will return for a second year as a Philanthropist Investor, helping to fund student programs.“Baltimore’s future relies on younger generations, and I am eager to return as an investor to see what forward-thinking ideas they have for their communities,” said Rodgers.
To ensure the student’s programs get a successful and sustainable start, Philanthropy Tank partners with local Philanthropist Investors like Rodgers and others. Philanthropy Tank Baltimore has seven founding partners that include Alliance Bernstein, Allegis Group, David and Beth Swirnow, Fader Innovation Center, Footlick Family Foundation, T. Rowe Price Foundation, and Whiting Turner.
Interested students can learn more and apply at philanthropytank.org/apply through August 1, 2021. To track the progress of the 2020 CHANGEmakers, visit philanthropytank.org/
Philanthropy Tank started in 2015 in Palm Beach County, Fla., and announced its expansion to Baltimore in April 2020. Through its mission of Empowering CHANGEmakers™, Philanthropy Tank has distributed more than $600,000 in funding to over 50 student-led programs in Baltimore and Palm Beach County and provided hundreds of hours of mentorship for teens over the last six years. These changemakers have created and continue to run organizations that support music and art education, women's empowerment, the environment, pediatric cancer patients, and more. More information can be found here.
