The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County awarded a total of six grants to local nonprofits—three Environment Anne Arundel Fund grants and three Women and Girls Fund grants.
Environment Anne Arundel Fund Grants
Anne Arundel County is known for its beautiful parks and waters and that’s why issues concerning the environment remain a priority. To address concerns such as stormwater management, and/or increasing community awareness and involvement in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay, local streams and rivers, and other natural areas, CFAAC’s Environmental Anne Arundel Grant Program recently awarded three grants, totaling $10,000 to the following three organizations.
- Severn River Association: Severn River Floating Classroom Program: This grant will help fund the 2023 Floating Classroom Program that will reach up to 60 area youth. The program is in partnership with other local nonprofits that provide services to underserved youth. It is designed to teach the importance of conservation and how human actions can impact the environment.
- Annapolis Maritime Museum: Equipping Environmental Education Programs: The grant will help the Annapolis Maritime Museum (AMM) purchase safety and educational equipment for on-the-water experiences, essential classroom materials, water-quality equipment, and first aid supplies. With school field trips now restored, AMM needs more equipment and supplies due to a dramatic surge in program attendance. The newly purchased equipment will support outdoor, inquiry-based learning needs for approximately 500 teachers and 12,000 students.
- Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Inc.: Bacon Ridge Natural Area Invasive Plant Control Program: This grant will support the continuation of an invasive plant control program that began in 2020 at the Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville. The impacts of invasive plants include reduction of native plant and animal species biodiversity as well as degradation of habitat quality by shading out or girdling native plants on which native plants and animals depend. The grant will fund training and organizing volunteers to control these ecologically harmful plants near the trails, as well as hiring certified herbicide contractors to manage invasive plants that are beyond the capacity of volunteer efforts.
Make a gift to the Environment Anne Arundel Fund
Women and Girls Fund Grants
Grants from the Women and Girls Fund are used to support nonprofits that help women and girls pursue positive, productive lives by helping remove barriers, increasing their economic security, enhancing their well-being and safety, and empowering them to make positive life decisions for themselves and their families. CFAAC’s Women and Girls Grant Program recently awarded three grants, totaling $7,500 to the following three organizations.
- Joy Reigns Lutheran Church: Journey to Joy 3/4 Recovery House Rental Scholarships: This grant will provide 30 rental scholarships for women and their children who stay at the Journey to Joy ¾ Recovery House. Journey to Joy 3/4 House provides shelter and services for women in drug/alcohol recovery and reunites them with their children in a safe, stable, violence-free, drug-free environment. The financial need is urgent as there are not many resources currently available (or promptly accessible) to help the women transition from halfway houses to Journey to Joy. The church serves all of Anne Arundel County but will give priority to South County families.
- Junior League of Annapolis, Inc.: Period Poverty: This grant will help the Junior League of Annapolis (JLA) address the problem of Period Poverty in Anne Arundel County Schools. MD State Bill 427 required the installation of two menstrual supply dispensers into all county schools by October 2022. Schools are expected to stock the dispensers to serve the girls during the week, but there is still a need for supplies during the weekends. JLA plans to supplement the supplies by providing grab-and-go bags for weekend needs. These bags, available through the school nurse’s office, help females who are attending a Title 1 middle school in Central Anne Arundel County.
- Maryland Therapeutic Riding, Inc.: Girls' Coping Skills Group with Horses: This grant allows the Girls’ Coping Skills Group program to reach more area girls by offering scholarships to those in need of financial assistance. Maryland Therapeutic Riding, Inc’s Coping Skills Group provides a safe space outside of the traditional office setting for girls with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. The program pairs girls with horses to help them gain coping skills and build relationships. Each group will serve up to 10 girls.