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Board okays $7.18 million Bloomberg grant amendment to expand city innovation team
Summary
The Board approved an amendment to a Bloomberg Family Foundation grant that increases the award to $7,178,000 to expand Baltimore’s innovation team to focus on housing vacancy prevention and public safety recruitment and retention.
The Board of Estimates approved an amendment on Feb. 19 to increase a Bloomberg Family Foundation grant award to Baltimore to $7,178,000 to expand the city’s innovation team.
Terrence Smith, Director of Innovation for Baltimore City, said the expanded team will concentrate on two priorities: housing vacancy prevention and public safety recruitment and retention. Smith said the original innovation team dates to 2017 and that the amended grant supports expanding staff and technical assistance; three core positions will be city‑funded and an additional eight positions will be funded through the grant.
Smith described early deliverables on the public safety side: research projects, an expanded cadet program (from four‑to‑five cadets historically up to 14 currently, with a goal of 40 by year‑end), and a driver’s‑license program to reduce barriers for cadet applicants. “We created a program. That driver license program is going very, very well,” Smith said, citing partner organizations including Michael Jones Driving Academy.
Board members asked how the innovation work interfaces with broader city policy and consent decree obligations for police staffing. City Administrator Faith Leach and other officials said innovation supports research and pilots while compliance matters such as consent‑decree staffing remain binding; Leach pointed to a forthcoming 10‑year financial plan that will include analyses of agency sizing and operations.
A motion to approve the grant amendment was moved and seconded; the board approved the item by voice vote.
