OSI-Baltimore Black Male Achievement Fellow

Yesterday The Open Society Institute of Baltimore announced their 17th annual class of Community Fellows for 2014 and dedicated $660,000 to support 11 social entrepreneurs “who lead creative and inspiring approaches for improving the community”.

Among the 11 chosen was Safe Alternative Foundation for Education’s (SAFE) founder Van Brooks who now joins a network of only 159 other fellows working to create “Big Change” in Baltimore.

“Each of this years fellows will receive $60,000 to work full-time for 18 months implementing creative strategies to assist and revitalize underserved communities in Baltimore”. Additionally, Van Brooks is one of the two designated as a Black Male Achievement (BMA) fellow. Being the first of its kind, the BMA fellow “will strive to reach some of the city’s most underserved populations –black men and boys”.

“We are proud to announce our newest class of fellows, all of whom are motivated to improve Baltimore City and tackle challenging issues,” said Pamela King, OSI-Baltimore Director of Community Fellowships." Read more