Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund

The Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund enables local organizations to build stronger neighborhoods by addressing community revitalization and the education, employment, health, and public safety needs of residents.

United Way of Central Maryland targets four major impact areas. The Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund was created to complement United Way, focusing on organizations close to our campuses that may not be included in the United Way’s funding areas or that receiving reduced funding.

Nonprofit organizations that are associated with Johns Hopkins through employee and/or institutional involvement and that deliver services to the communities near Johns Hopkins campuses are considered for funding through a proposal process. See recent recipients.

No, programs need to focus on only one of the key areas that the Neighborhood Fund addresses.

Request what is needed for the program, not to exceed $15,000.

The application goes live online in early January and is due in mid-March each year. No extensions will be provided. Applications will be reviewed in the spring, and applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision in May.

Provide the budget and expenses of just the program for which you are requesting funds.

Yes, at the end of each grant cycle (June 30), all Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund recipients are required to submit a report summary, explaining how the funds were used and the impact that they made. A brief form will be provided to recipients in June.

Although there is no guarantee of an organization being funded in consecutive years, some have received grants multiple times. The only impact that a previously awarded grant would make on future applications would be if the organization used the funds for services or items other than originally intended, or if a report summary is not submitted. In either case, the organization would be ineligible to apply the following year.

The organization itself does not need to be located within the boundaries; however, the services for which you are requesting funding must be provided within them. Review the eligibility guidelines for details about the geographical boundaries. If you are still unsure as to whether or not your services fall within the boundaries, email communityprograms@jh.edu.

Total funding varies year to year based on donations to the Neighborhood Fund during the United Way Campaign. The number of grants awarded will be determined by available funds and the funding amount each organization requests.

No, letters of recommendation will not be shared with the committee when reviewing applications.

Salary requests will be considered only if they are for direct service providers.

If you are expecting a document from local, state, or federal government but do not have it in time for the application deadline, please still submit your application and include the explanation. Also include a date for when you expect to receive it as it will need to be submitted prior to the application being reviewed by the committee. If your organization is exempt from having any of the required appendices, include an explanation within your application.

A request to spend funds differently than originally awarded must be submitted for review to communityprograms@jh.edu.

Any Johns Hopkins affiliate (current employee, retiree, student, or alumnus/a) can serve as the Johns Hopkins sponsor. The type of affiliation does not impact the ranking of your application.

The sponsor simply needs to sign off on your grant application to show a connection between Johns Hopkins and your organization.

View our full list of funded programs.

Hopkins staff, faculty, and students can apply with the disclaimer that not special consideration will be given in the review process.