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Typically, when great ideas in need of funding are pitched to entrepreneurs, they come from post-graduate adults. But Baltimore’s youth culture is full of vibrant, groundbreaking, creative trendsetters who deserve opportunities to innovate and lead our city through their own unique lens.
Philanthropy Tank Baltimore Executive Director Nakeia Jones believes these young people are worth investing in. “Our students are ready to take the reins,” Jones explains. “It’s really about giving them the tools and support they need to execute on their ideas. That may be financially, or it could also be just through mentorship. Every student and project are completely different.”
Philanthropy Tank, a nonprofit organization which was founded in Palm Beach County, Florida in 2015 and came to Baltimore in 2019, aims to help shape students’ leadership paths and empower their creative solutions to address and improve social issues in our community.
Working with students in grades 8-12, Philanthropy Tank asks them to identify necessary changes and then to be that change they want to see. The organization introduced its first Baltimore cohort of CHANGEmakers last year with a virtual event where finalists pitched their projects, hoping to be selected for a grant of up to $15,000. Eight projects were funded, led by 21 of the area’s most inspiring youth and supported by five dynamic Philanthropist Mentors, who select the winning projects and work with the students throughout their Philanthropy Tank journey.
Ania McNair, a freshman at Morgan State University, applied to Philanthropy Tank as a high school senior. Her mission was to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking, and her project, Not For Sale Youth, hit the ground running after earning funding in 2020 (you can watch her pitch on Philanthropy Tank’s YouTube channel). McNair has hosted more than five rallies in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and held a four-week summer camp where participants used art therapy to help understand the correlation between low self esteem and human trafficking. She is currently producing a workbook that assists in teaching the importance of self-care from a young age, as well as a curriculum to teach middle school students the warning signs of kidnapping and human trafficking. It’s easy to see why McNair was awarded $12,500 to carry out her initiative, and with her heart for advocacy, she is certainly someone to watch in our city.
Currently, Jones and her team are gearing up to welcome the Year 2 finalists to an in-person competition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture on Thursday, February 17, 2022. Although last year’s group of youth leaders were amazing and worked through adverse conditions, this year’s cohort is sure to be just as impressive. Their projects will demonstrate innovation as well as sustainability, with concepts such as East Baltimore neighborhood beautification, cheerleading programming for elementary school girls, youth fitness and nutrition classes, making diverse literature more accessible, building community for youth of incarcerated parents, and mental health initiatives for young Blackmen.
Bringing leadership and development skills to our youth takes a partnership of many. Philanthropy Tank works with other youth-based nonprofits all over the city to ensure that, together, they are creating opportunities and experiences relevant to what youth care about. If you are interested in supporting Philanthropy Tank, or know a student who would make a phenomenal CHANGEmaker, be sure to visit www.philanthropytank.org for up-to-date information on how to get involved.