Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg broadly funds programs related to basic needs, housing, and homelessness; programs that help individuals and families who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other types of abuse; programs related to grade-level STEM education and college preparedness; programs supporting job placement and career training; and programs focused on community services in Baltimore, Maryland, and elsewhere in the U.S.

IP TAKE: The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation primarily supports programs and projects within its priority regions, so grantseekers in other parts of the country may find it difficult to secure funding. Potential grantees inside these priority areas will find an approachable and accessible funder that accepts unsolicited LOIs and funds organizations of all sizes.

This is a very transparent and accessible funder. It offers a comprehensive, searchable grants database dating back to 2018, along with news, press releases, a blog, and publications. It also accepts letter of inquiry year round, with no deadline. Grantseekers must take an eligibility quiz before submitting an LOI, but you are also welcome to reach out to one of the foundation’s program managers to discuss whether your organization’s project would be a good fit for Weinberg funding.

PROFILE: Established in 1959, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is a private foundation based in Owings Mills, Maryland. Harry Weinberg was an immigrant who came to the U.S. in the early 1900s and built a career as a successful entrepreneur and investor in transportation and real estate. The Weinberg Foundation is “dedicated to meeting the basic needs of vulnerable people and families experiencing poverty.” It generally prioritizes organizations located in Baltimore, Chicago, Hawaii, Israel, New York City, Northeastern Pennsylvania, San Francisco, and rural communities located near other priority communities, but it occasionally considers grant requests from organizations located outside of these “priority communities.” Weinberg’s four main focus areas are Housing, Health, Jobs, Education, and Aging.

Grants for Housing and Homelessness

The Weinberg Foundation’s Housing focus area has two main priorities. Affordable Housing Development and Renovation grants prioritize “projects that add new units of housing into a community.” Examples of projects Weinberg funds include “permanent supportive housing serving people exiting homelessness,” and “affordable housing that meets the needs of veterans, young adults with developmental disabilities, those escaping domestic violence, and other vulnerable populations.” Housing Stability grants, on the other hand, support “programs that allow people to remain housed within their communities by providing comprehensive services.” These include “rapid Re-Housing programs for families, youth, veterans and others who have experienced homelessness,” and “supportive services that allow young adults with disabilities to live in the least restrictive environment possible.” Grantees include 2Life Communities, Allied Housing, and Bridges to Housing Stability.

Grants for Public Health and Community Development

Weinberg’s Health grantmaking focuses on five priority areas.

  • The Health Care Access initiative supports groups that provide access to health care, as well as organizations that “work to improve the health status of vulnerable patients.” Past grantees include Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Jewish Child and Family Services, and Chase Brexton Health Services.

  • Weinberg supports veterans and the military through its Veteran Mental Wellness initiative that makes grants to projects supporting veterans’ mental wellness and to groups assisting veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life. Previous grantees include The Ark, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, and The Arc of Washington County, Inc.

  • The Nutrition and Food Access initiative “supports organizations and programs that increase access to sufficient and nutritious food.” Past grantees in the food and nutrition space include San Francisco Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Inc., and Hawaii Good Food Alliance.

  • Weinberg conducts violence prevention grants through its initiative for Trauma, Abuse, and Safety, which centers on promoting “child and family safety” and that reduce the long-term traumatic effects of child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, intimate partner or family violence, elder abuse, and exposure to community violence.” Past violence prevention grantees include Combating Violence Against Women, which received support for a new shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence; and Domestic Violence Action Center, which received a grant for its workforce development programs for victims of domestic violence.

Weinberg also conducts grantmaking in this field through its Aging initiative, which supports organizations that help the elderly navigate “unique social, physical, and economic challenges that can undermine their health and quality of life.” Grants for Safe and Accessible Homes support initiatives that “enable older adults to live in their home safely and comfortably and maintain their independence,” such as home modification and repair programs, as well as “health and overall well-being to prevent hospitalization and institutionalization.” The Aging in Community initiative funds organizations and projects that help older adults retain their independence. Such projects “must incorporate a model that connects older adults and/or caregivers with a range of services that help them age independently, within their communities, and with maximum quality of life.” Past grantees include National Council on Aging, Senior Citizens Association Western Galilee, and L’refuah Medical and Rehabilitation Center Inc.

Grants for Work and Opportunity

The Weinberg Foundation’s Jobs focus area has two main priorities. Job Training grants support “job-training programs that result in industry-recognized credentials, as well as job-placement and retention services.” It funds sector-based training programs in health care, manufacturing, technology, food services, and manufacturing, capital costs for job-training centers or projects, and job-placement programs for veterans and their families. Youth Employment and Career Support grants support “school-based career exploration and work-based learning opportunities for youth,” defined as age 14 to 24, including summer job programs, paid internships, skills training for youths who are not in school or employed, and employment opportunities for youths with disabilities. Past grantees include Bay Area Video Coalition, Civic Works Inc., and Commit Foundation.

Grants for K-12 Education, College Preparedness and STEM Education

The Weinberg Foundation’s Education program supports K-12 and STEM education via two of its three sub-initiatives. STEM grants support in- or out-of-school program in STEM disciplines, prioritizing interventions and programs that are hands-on or experiential. Grants for Out-of-School Time support programs that take place after school, on weekends or during the summer that have “an academic component with demonstrated academic outcomes.” This subprogram tends to fund organizations providing academic, social, recreational or enrichment activities. Recent grantees include Baltimore SquashWise, the Hidden Genius Project, the Middle Grades Partnership and Soccer Without Borders.

Weinberg’s College and Career Preparedness initiative “supports programs that assist students in developing a post-secondary plan and position them for success after graduation from high school.” Areas of focus include college access, student advising throughout the college application process, college student counseling and certification programs. Additionally, Weinberg supports “in-school and out-of-school STEM programs and programs proven to improve math proficiency, in order to prepare youth for evolving workforce needs that require STEM literacy.”

Past grantees include the Baltimore Community Foundation, which used funding to support a college and career preparedness program, Building Steps, which received support for its program preparing students for college through STEM focused seminars and college access workshops, Let’s Go Boys and Girls, which received funding for its in and out of school STEM program for low-income students, and the Salvadori Center for the Built Environment, which received a grant for its STEM program work for low-income students and professional development for teachers.

Important Grant Details:

Grants range between about $10,000 and $50,000. The foundation typically awards approximately $125 million in grants annually. Grantseekers may search the foundation’s grants database for more information on its grantmaking habits.

  • Grantmaking focuses on the city of Baltimore and surrounding rural Maryland communities. Other geographic interests include Northeastern Pennsylvania, Chicago, Hawaii, Israel, New York City, and San Francisco because these places have ties to the legacy of Harry Weinberg.

  • The Weinberg Foundation accepts letters of inquiry on an ongoing basis but asks applicants to complete an online eligibility quiz prior to submission.

  • The foundation has a program committee that meets six times per year to review grant requests submitted online. Full grant proposals are due within 60 days of receiving an invitation to apply.

  • The foundation will consider continued funding for programs it deems important to the community, but generally prefers that grantees wait until their grant cycle has concluded before submitting another application.

  • The Weinberg Foundation will not fund individuals, scholarships, endowments, think tanks, religious institutions, political action groups, or fundraising events.

Direct general questions to the staff at grantsintake@hjweinberg.org or 410-654-8500.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: