Celebrating 25 Years of Grassroots Philanthropy in Baltimore With the ‘Quality of Life’ Giving Circle

The Quality of Life Giving Circle is celebrating 25 years of grassroots philanthropy, bringing together Baltimoreans who pool their resources to support small but powerful community projects. With $3,000 grants, delicious potluck dinner meetings and a cut-the-red-tape ethos, the Circle has built a legacy of impact, connection, and joy.

For a quarter century, the Quality of Life Giving Circle has stayed true to its founding vision: a small, grassroots group of neighbors pooling their resources—and their best recipes—to fund the projects that local nonprofits need, and others won’t fund. What has remained constant is the Circle’s commitment to simplicity, community, and impact—funding projects that meet real needs without burdening organizations with bureaucracy and creating lasting connections among its members.

The Circle, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, was founded by Baltimoreans who were familiar with the nonprofit scene in Baltimore, and wanted to use giving to create connection. “It was started by people who belonged to a larger giving circle and wanted to create something that was smaller and more grassroots, more intimate,” explained member Jo Marvan, who joined in the mid-2000s. For Jane McConnell, one of the original members, the goal was simple: “We wanted it to be effective and didn’t want to make small organizations have to jump through hoops to get the money.”

Click here to read the full blog.

Source: Baltimore Community Foundation