Blog

Melinated House of Beauty

Getting quality beauty supplies hasn’t always been easy for Dinee Russell, a long-time resident of the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore City. She frequently had to travel to big box stores outside of the city to buy shampoo, conditioner, edge control, and other products formulated for her hair texture. And some of those stores don’t carry specialty items such as braiding hair, human hair, and wigs. Dinee is not alone; many Black and Latinx women live in neighborhoods in which these beauty supplies are hard to come by.

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How Blank Slate is revitalizing Baltimore

Being immersed in the trade from an early age led Alex to become the founder and CEO of his own Baltimore-based real estate firm, Blank Slate, which provides construction, development, and management services.

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BCL helps ReBUILD Metro create opportunities in East Baltimore

The BUILD members and church leaders resolved to eliminate the blight in Oliver and its surrounding neighborhoods by acquiring and rehabilitating vacant properties, eventually partnering with the Reinvestment Fund to form RF Development Partners.

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COVID-19 relief grant update

A little over three months ago, Baltimore Community Lending awarded COVID-19 relief grants to 30 small businesses in Baltimore City.

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Catonsville CO-OP brings together food, community, and local businesses

In the summer of 2011, a few Catonsville residents met at the local library. They shared a passion for supporting local businesses and wanted to bring those products into their community. Eleven years later, that idea has blossomed into the Catonsville Cooperative (CO-OP) Market and Grocery, a market and community hub owned and operated by owner members of the community.

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In memoriam: Frank B. Coakley

March 3, 2021 No one wore the title of “Chief Business Development Officer” better than Frank Coakley. Frank’s commitment to…

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Testimony of Watchen Harris Bruce – United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Coronavirus Crisis: Next Steps for Rebuilding Mainstreet

In my testimony today, I would like to address the substantive issues and concerns facing my CDFI in Baltimore and CDFIs like mine around the country.

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