Over the course of the last three years, BCF has been listening and developing a way to fund organizations that address issues affecting young Baltimoreans who identify as LGBTQ. The result is the LGBTQ Fund at BCF. Join LGBTQ Fund advisory committee co-chair Frank McNeil and member Alice Young as they give us an overview of goals of the fund and its recent grant recipients.

After months of work, the Kirwan Commission has released its cost estimates and a draft funding formula that would allow the state of Maryland and its local school districts to pay for the improvements needed to provide a world-class education to all students. On Oct. 30, Strong Schools Maryland's Joe Francaviglia will join us to break down the funding formula and the path towards implementing Kirwan.    

Trauma has reached buzzword status in the media. But what is trauma, and how do schools help children deal with the trauma they have experienced? On Sept. 24, we'll sit down with Tiffany July-Lindo and Audry Motlagh-Harvey to talk about trauma, how it's defined, and what Judy Centers are doing to help children experiencing trauma.   

In a Baltimore Sun op-ed published July 29, BCF’s Patti Chandler and RBC Global Asset Management’s Catherine Banat advocated for a regional economic development plan that aligns with the unique needs of the Baltimore community. The writers join us August 16 to discuss how such a plan might provide a road map to economic success.

We're sitting down with Cheryl Casciani, the outgoing president of the board of commissioners of the Baltimore City Public Schools (she's also BCF director of special projects). She'll reflect on the challenges and successes during her tenure, and look to the future.

The Baltimore Women's Giving Circle is a major grantmaking force in Baltimore. With over 450 members, the Circle has made $5.3 million in grants to organizations that focus on promoting self-sufficiency for women and their families in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

Judy Centers bring together community resources to help families get their children ready for kindergarten, and Baltimore's Judy Centers have been showing success in improving school readiness. Researchers from the Baltimore Education Research Consortium are beginning to release their results from a recent study of Judy Centers. What have they found?  We talk about the study with Dr. Jeffrey Grigg of BERC and Crystal Francis of Baltimore City Schools.  

Maryland's lawmakers approved legislation last year that requires the Maryland Transit Administration to lay out a long-term plan for the region. What does that mean? On January 29, we'll sit down with the Central Maryland Transportation to find out how this plan is progressing.

A donor-advised fund is a convenient and powerful used by many BCF donors carrying out their charitable giving plans. But how do they work? We'll sit down with Robert Waldman, co-managing partner at Venable LLP, and Jenn Farrell, BCF donor services officer, to talk  in detail about donor-advised funds.