News & Events

NDC Receives Grant for Computer Upgrades
Thank you to the Lois and Philip Macht Family Philanthropic Fund for their grant of $3,000 to help us upgrade two computers and purchase new graphic software.

Past News

Grant to support NDC's Baltimore Office
Thank you to the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation for their grant of $10,000 to support our work in Baltimore City. Specifically, the Lockhart Vaughan grant provides general program support for our pro-bono planning and design assistance.

Tapping Into People's Creativity
As part of the Alternative Roots Festival on June 25, NDC led an interactive art activity that asked the question, "What Should We Do With Empty Urban Spaces?" Dozens of people, children as well as adults, stopped by to draw, write, and create collages of their ideas - filling up a nearly twenty foot scroll!

Thank you to the following people who volunteered their time to help us: Barbara Aylesworth, Lauren Bostic, Evan Richardson, and Jenny Smeltzer. Thank you also to CultureWorks for providing space for the activity.

To see pictures from the festival and activity click HERE.

Patterson Park Green Neighborhood Charrette a Success
On Saturday, May 14, seventy-five residents joined NDC staff and 8 volunteers in St. Elizabeth's Church Hall to brainstorm about the types of actions they'd like to see included in the first community green master plan in the city. Using the Baltimore Sustainability Plan as a guide, residents and professionals discussed challenges facing the community as well as dozens of creative solutions. The final product, a Green Plan, will contain a report as well as plans and designs for implementing ideas ranging from green roofs and alleyways to stormwater best management practices. To see images from the day visit NDC's Facebook page and the Patterson Park Neighborhood Greening Committee Facebook page.

Thank you to the Patterson Park Neighborhood Association Greening Committee and to the NDC volunteers for the enthusiasm and ideas that they brought to our second Brains on Fire: Stephanie Tuite (Sill, Adcock & Associates); Josh Skiles (STV Inc.); Jennifer Leonard (Frederick Ward Associates); Chantal Ireland (intern architect); Martina Dobrosielski (Marks, Thomas Architects); Samantha Saveri (Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson); Katherine Brower (landscape architecture & urban planner); Lisa Reed (LEED AP, Cho Benn Holback + Associates).

Brains on Fire is a regular event merging a passion for design + community service. Thank you to the Clayton Baker Trust for their support of Brains on Fire

NDC Receives a Grant to Create a Green Neighborhood Plan
Thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, whose $5,000 grant will enable NDC's Baltimore office to create a "Green Neighborhood Plan" for Patterson Park.  The plan will link current greening activities with future visions for the neighborhood, while also connecting the community's actions to the Baltimore City Sustainability Plan and Healthy Harbor Strategy.

Better Block Project a Hit!
Although the sky was grey the mood was bright for hundreds of people who came to Mt. Rainier for NDC's Better Block Project on April 9, 2011. The event transformed a two block area of 34th Street into a lively Main Street with pop-up retail spaces occupying three vacant storefronts, pop-up parks with over a dozen organizations offering workshops, information, and items for sale, sidewalk cafes, bands, dancers, and street performers.  In addition, artists decorated storefronts of vacant and existing businesses, and MNCPPC loaned 14 trees to create an instant streetscape.  The event was inspired by the Better Block Project in Oak Cliff, Texas.

Click HERE to see additional pictures from the event.  You can also view a video about the day and read an article from the Gazette.

Finally, we would like to thank the following organizations and individuals who made the day possible:

Cash sponsors: M-NCPPC; Anacostia Trails Heritage Area; Councilman Will Campos; Prince George's County DHCD

In-kind donations:Envision Prince George's County; M-NCPPC; City of Mount Rainier; Community Forklift; Kathy Osore Gardens for All Seasons; Bobin Bliss, Retail Designer; Home Depot; Behnke's Nursery

Organizing Partners: Neighborhood Design Center; City of Mount Rainier; Gateway CDC; Joe's Movement Emporium; Mount Rainier Business Association; Community Forklift; ScrapDC; Maryland Chapter of ASLA

To view of list of these organizations, see videos, and learn more about the day visit the Better Block Facebook page. For additional information contact either Jan Townshend or John Flippo at 301-779-6010.

NDC Receives Grant for our Prince George's County Office
Thank you to the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation for their general operating grant of $25,000 for our Prince George's County office.  The grant will be used for a second year of "Developing a Capital Project" workshops, the expansion of our "Brains on Fire" charrettes, and equipment and software upgrades.

Thank you to the Clayton Baker Trust for their grant of $10,000 to our Baltimore office.  The grant will be used to support the pro-bono design and planning services.  Also, the Baltimore Community Foundation provided an additional $2,500 in support of greeNDC.

Kristen Humphrey, greeNDC Program Coordinator, and Jack Leonard, Adjunct Professor at Morgan State University, were chosen to present at the Engineering Green 2011 conference held in Baltimore on March 1, 2011.  Their presentation, "Integrating ESD with Community Revitalization in the Urban Landscape" highlighted a recent collaborative project between NDC and the Graduate Program in Landscape Architecture at Morgan State University in the CARES community of East Baltimore.  The project incorporated innovative design practices for integrating storm water management with the creation of new community green spaces to reclaim a vacant inner block area.   Click HERE to download the presentation.

The Lois and Philip Macht Family Foundation, a component of the Baltimore Jewish Community Charitable Fund of THE ASSOCIATED, awarded us a $3,000 grant for general program support of our Baltimore office. The funding will underwrite the pro-bono planning and design services that we will be providing to low income communities in the City.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded NDC a grant of $5,000 to help the Forest Heights increase the number of trees planted in the town.  NDC has been working with Forest Heights over the past couple of years to incorporate green design and sustainable practices into various community and civic projects.

The Baltimore City Office of Sustainability has awarded the Neighborhood Design Center a $35,000 grant to provide planning, design, and educational assistance to help residents and businesses in the Brooklyn/Curtis Bay neighborhood improve their energy efficiency.  The grant supports the City's effort to reduce energy use 15% by 2015, as outlined in the Baltimore Sustainability Plan.

Thank you to Constellation Energy ($5,000), the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation ($10,000), and the Baltimore Community Foundation ($7,500) for their recent grants to help NDC create greener and more sustainable neighborhoods in Baltimore.  Last year NDC was able to assist 32 community projects throughout the City - helping groups reclaim and renovate buildings, improve parks and playgrounds, create outdoor classrooms at schools, and create new community places. (July - August 2010)

The Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded NDC a grant of $5,000 to lead a greening effort for the Oxon Run Stream in Prince George's County.  NDC staff will develop a reforestation plan for the Oxon Run as well as work with area residents to plant trees and undertake stream clean-ups.

NDC would like to thank the Clayton Baker Trust for their grant of $10,000 to our Baltimore office.  The grant will be used to support the pro-bono design and planning services.

Thank you to the John J. Leidy Foundation for their grant of $3,000 to support our "green" design services in 2010.

A community garden that NDC's Prince George's County office is providing design assistance to in New Carrollton was featured in an article in the Gazette on December 17.  Residents are trying to create the garden to provide people a place to grow food and children a place to learn about the environment.

NDC would like to thank the Lois and Philip Macht Family Philanthropic Fund of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore for their grant of $3,000 to support our pro-bono planning and design services, and to Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts for their NEA/Baltimore City Job Retention grant of $5,000, which will support GREENDC.

NDC receives a Management Assistance Grant from the Goldseker Foundation
To strengthen the management and effectiveness of the region’s private nonprofit sector, the Goldseker Foundation annually provides a limited number of Management Assistance Grants. In July 2009, NDC received a grant of $10,000 to hire a consultant to update our strategic plan.

Thank you to the Creative Baltimore Fund for their Support!
NDC was awarded a grant of $9,300 from the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts to help us increase design access to communities across the city.

NDC receives two grants for our Prince George's County office
The Neighborhood Design Center would like to thank the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust for their grants of $17,500 and $14,000 (respectively) to expand our work in Prince George's County.  The Cafritz grant allows NDC to expand our Facade Improvement program to three new commercial districts, while the CBT grant supports our work on school greening projects.

Baltimore Community Foundation Supports GREENDC
In order to help NDC strengthen our network of LEED-certified volunteers, create "Green Mentors" for our various projects, and develop informational material for our community clients, the Baltimore Community Foundation awarded us with a grant of $10,000.  For more information about GREENDC and how you can become involved visit our Programs and Projects page.

Thank you to Healthy Neighborhoods for their Support
Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc. awarded NDC a grant of $15,000 to provide targeted design assistance and consultation to various neighborhoods and projects, including Easterwood Park in Coppin Heights and Gill Park in Garwyn Oaks.  This is a continuation of services that NDC has provided over the years - most recently coordinating technical assistance for Healthy Neighborhoods Capital Grants, which provided over $300,000 to neighborhoods to implement various community improvement projects.

NDC receives grant from the Goldseker Foundation
For years the Neighborhood Design Center has provided design and technical assistance to the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative in Baltimore.  NDC would like to thank the Goldseker Foundation for their grant of $20,000 that will allow us to continue assisting these neighborhoods by providing educational workshops and design assistance to 4 - 6 projects in 2009.  The grant supports NDC's efforts to not only provide plans and drawings but also assistance to help move the projects toward implementation.

NDC Featured in Baltimore Community Foundation newsletter
The Fall 2008 issue of The BCF EDGE includes the article, "Where Green Lessons Take Root", highlighting NDC's work with the Irvine Nature Center and Baltimore City public schools to create rain gardens and outdoor classrooms.  To quote Cheryl Casciani, BCF's Director of Community Investment, "They're one of the most effective intermediary organizations in Baltimore.  The way that NDC helps neighborhoods is so varied; you really can't go wrong in supporting their efforts" (emphasis added).  Thanks Cheryl - and thanks to the Baltimore Community Foundation for your support over the years.  To read the full text of the article click HERE.

Baltimore Direct Service Grant awarded to Rebuilding through Art Project
The Annie E. Casey Foundation awarded a $20,000 Direct Service Grant to the Rebuilding through Art Project for "RAP Ceramics" - a social entrepreneurial effort where students and community members will create architectural ceramics that will be sold for neighborhood improvement projects.

NDC receives grant from the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation
One of the goals of the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation is to create vibrant neighborhoods in Baltimore.  NDC would like to thank the foundation for their grant of $10,000 grant to support NDC's community design services that are improving neighborhoods throughout the city.  Last year NDC was able to assist over 35 community projects - helping groups reclaim and renovate buildings, improve parks and playgrounds, create outdoor classrooms at schools, and create new community places.

NDC receives grant for the Rebuilding through Art Project
Thank you to the William G. Baker Memorial Fund for their grant of $13, 740 to support the Rebuilding through Art Project.  The funding will allow RAP to create the Ice House Art project, which will create a series of community inspired and made murals on the vacant Ice House adjacent to the West Baltimore MARC Station.   Given the location of the project, it offers riders into and out of Baltimore not only an exciting view but also the first indication of the transit-oriented revitalization planned for the area - helping to make the community's presence and voice known to thousands of people each day.

Prison Garden Project featured in the Gazette
This past Spring Jan Townshend, Program manager for NDC's Prince George's County office, worked with staff and inmates at the Prince George's County Correctional Center to design a garden where inmates will learn gardening skills and grow some of their food.  The project was featured in the May 22 issue of the Gazzette - click here to read the article.

Thank you to Maryland AIAS for Donation
This past April the University of Maryland, College park Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) held a fundraising silent auction - with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Neighborhood Design Center.  Thank you to Jessica Pagan and the other members of Maryland AIAS for their generous gift of $1,000!

Kenilworth project featured in the Gazette
On May 1 students from the University of Maryland, College Park presented plans for upgrades to Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale Park, including redevelopment of Riverdale Plaza and a proposed Purple Line stop.  The project was done in conjunction with NDC and the Maryland-National Captal Park and Planning Commission.  To read the article that appeared in the Gazette click here.

NDC Receives Grants for Technology and Community Design
We would like to thank the following foundations and public agencies for their support: The John J. Leidy Foundation ($3,000) and the Lois and Philip Macht Family Philanthropic Fund of THE ASSOCIATED ($3,000) for grants to allow NDC to upgrade our server and purchase three new computers, and the Creative Baltimore Fund from the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts for general program support ($10,400).  We would also like to thank the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development for Community Development Block Grant funding for another year ($72,100).

NDC Matches Challenge Grant from the Knott Foundation!
At the end of February, NDC's Board had raised the $15,000 challenge grant needed by the Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation to match their $25,000 grant to support GREENDC.  Funding will enable us to develop community workshops, create informational material both in print and on the web, and integrate green design practices across our other programs and projects.

NDC Receives Grant for Community Art
Thank you to the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund for their grant of $20,000 to support the Rebuilding thru Art Project.  The funding will allow RAP to expand the after-school programs that they offer at Lockerman-Bundy Elementary, develop additional partnerships like the one with Park School, and continue to engage students in community art projects that enhance the school and the surrounding neighborhood.

Good Work Gets Good Press
It is always good to know that others think highly of you - and two recent articles prove that.  The first appeared in the February 20 issue of the Baltimore Examiner, and highlighted the launch of our 40th Anniversary year (click here to read the Examiner article).  The second appeared on the Port Towns CDC web site and highlighted our assistance as part of their Livable Communities efforts (click here to read the Port Towns article).

NDC Awarded Grant to work with Healthy Neighborhoods
Healthy Neighborhoods is a program in Baltimore that provides funding and technical assistance to 15 strong but undervalued neighborhoods across the city.  They are providing a grant of $15,000 to NDC to administer their Capital Grants program, which awards funding for projects that improve the neighborhoods and help to increase the housing market.  NDC will be the point group for the capital grants, offering guidance and technical assistance to the participating neighborhoods.

Baltimore Community Foundation provides "green" grant
Thank you to the Baltimore Community Foundation for their grant of $10,000 to support GREENDC.  The funding will be used to develop green rehab workshops for communities participating in the Healthy Neighborhoods initiative.   Read more about GREENDC.

Washington Redskins and Bank of America Adopt an NDC Project
Over the past several months NDC assisted Prince George's County's Habitat for Humanity in developing conceptual designs for a new house in Fairmont Heights (pictured).   The Washington Redskins and Bank of America have since adopted the house, which began construction on November 27 in the FedExField parking lot, and will continue in Fairmont Heights.  A dedication ceremony was held at the Redskins/Cowboys game on December 30, while another is planned when construction is complete.  For more information click here or visit www.redskins.com.

NDC Assistance Leads to Community Design Competition
In 2006, the Neighborhood Design Center worked with the Port Towns CDC to create conceptual designs for the redevelopment of two blocks in Colmar Manor along Bladensburg Road/MD202 and the Anacostia River.  As a result of our work, Port Towns CDC was able to secure funding to move the project into the next phase of development - the People's Harbor Project Competition.  Winners of the competition were announced this month.  To read about this project, and see a the winning entries, click here. Thanks to NDC volunteers Scott Walters (CSD Architects) and Stefanie McKenzie (Read & Company Architects) for their initial work in helping community members, civic leaders, and developers see the potential in Colmar Manor.

NDC Featured in the Baltimore Sun Charity Giving Guide
The Neighborhood Design Center was among a handful of other nonprofits in the Baltimore area that was featured in the Charity Giving Guide, a special advertising feature of the Baltimore Sun on November 16, 2007.  The article, entitled "Rebuild, redesign, and restore" highlighted the positive effects that the organization has had on local communities.  To read the full article click here.

Annie E. Casey Foundation Awards Grant to GREENDC
Thank you to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for their recent grant of $20,000 to GREENDC to provide assistance to communities in East Baltimore.  The grant will allow NDC to research best practices in green neighborhood design, develop educational material and neighborhood-based training programs, and provide technical assistance to residents and community-based organizations in the area.

James W. Rouse Community Service Day

On September 15, 2007, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, along with Enterprise Community Partners, sponsored the 7th Annual James W. Rouse Community Service Day.  This year, several past Neighborhood Design Center projects participated: Medfield Heights Elementary, Barclay Elementary / Middle School, Bruce Street Park (pictured at the right from 2006), and the Village Learning Place.  For information about the Service Day visit www.sber.com.

NDC Winner of CCTS Technology Award

In May of 2007, the Neighborhood Design Center was one of four non-profits in Baltimore selected for the University of Baltimore’s Center for Community Technology Service’s inaugural Innovation Award (www.ccts.ubalt.edu).  NDC received an IBM laptop, resource material, and technology planning support from CCTS (a value of $1,500) – which will enable us to upgrade our ability to make presentations and workshops directly in the communities where we are working.  NDC also thanks IBM and the Baltimore Community Foundation for sponsoring the award.