The Baltimore Community Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Black Philanthropy Circle. The Black Philanthropy Circle is a nonprofit 501(c)3 donor-advised fund focused on charitable giving to nonprofits that directly support Black people and communities in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Founded by a group of more than 30 Black business and civic leaders, the Black Philanthropy Circle was established to cultivate an inclusive philanthropic community, to build the capacity of Baltimore’s Black nonprofits, and to impact Greater Baltimore’s Black community at large.

In early 2025, nonprofits across the Greater Washington, DC region faced a perfect storm: sudden funding losses, rising demand for services, and deep uncertainty. A July survey of more than 240 local nonprofits found 38% had lost federal funding. Yet, far more, 61%, reported being affected by policy changes overall, showing the impact goes well beyond federal grant dollars. In response, the Greater Washington Community Foundation launched the Community Resilience Initiative to help nonprofits continue their work without disruption. From the outset, the initiative was anchored in flexibility, collaboration, and data. Based on insights from the survey and ongoing conversations with nonprofits, three things became clear early on.