Maryland Humanities Council Inc
Maryland Humanities Council Inc is a public charity based in Baltimore, Maryland. Formed in 1977, it makes general operating grants to nonprofits conducting humanities work in Maryland and also offers statewide humanities programs.
Maryland Humanities Council Inc at a glance
In short: Maryland Humanities Council Inc gave $1.2M across 109 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Maryland. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,213,389
- +27.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 109
- +14.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,132
- +11.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,099,451
- -19.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Maryland (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Maryland Humanities Council Inc
- Review Cycle
- The FY27 application deadline was September 13, 2026; that cycle is closed.
- Deadline
- The FY27 application deadline was September 13, 2026; that cycle is closed.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3600 Clipper Mill Rd Ste 320, Baltimore, MD 21211
Phone: (410) 685-0095
Website: https://mdhumanities.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Maryland Humanities Council Inc
Who Maryland Humanities Council Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Emancipation Group ($75K). Together the top 10 received $236K.
Grant Size Distribution
360 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 359 grants of 360 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The funder’s website describes the SHINE program as supporting eligible organizations throughout Maryland. In 2025, 98% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in Maryland and 2% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 109 itemized grants.
Cities
How Maryland Humanities Council Inc gives
- 44% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $138K (2019) to $1.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 109 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Emancipation Group Silver Spring, MD | General Operating Support | $75,000 |
| Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc Hyattsville, MD | General Operating Support | $21,500 |
| Berlin Heritage Foundation Inc Berlin, MD | General Operating Support | $21,500 |
| Indian Cultural Association of Howard County Inc Ellicott City, MD | General Operating Support | $21,500 |
| Fractured Atlas Hartsdale, NY | General Operating Support | $20,000 |
| Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Inc Frederick, MD | General Operating Support | $17,500 |
| Washington College Chestertown, MD | General Operating Support | $16,500 |
| Buffalo Soldier Living History Display Joppa, MD | General Operating Support | $14,000 |
| Cambridge Woman's Club Inc Trappe, MD | General Operating Support | $14,000 |
| Fire Museum of Maryland Inc Lutherville, MD | General Operating Support | $14,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts below are reported by filing year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,099,451 | $2,991,430 | $3,202,157 | $1,213,389 | 109 | $63,696 |
| 2024 | $2,609,331 | $3,005,485 | $3,000,638 | $950,000 | 95 | $51,419 |
| 2023 | $2,172,943 | $1,807,993 | $2,457,187 | $500,000 | 50 | $53,165 |
| 2022 | $2,809,081 | $2,969,824 | $1,668,673 | — | — | $787 |
| 2021 | $2,602,498 | $3,083,306 | $2,863,470 | $1,055,458 | 106 | $1,934 |
| 2020 | $1,429,287 | $2,241,864 | $2,264,184 | $631,889 | 113 | $5,284 |
| 2019 | $1,297,289 | $2,051,033 | $1,779,812 | $138,259 | 15 | $5,756 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Marilyn Hatza Memorial SHINE Grant Program supports general operating expenses for Maryland nonprofits conducting humanities programming. The funder describes the humanities as including fields such as history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, religious studies, and ethics. Its other public programs include Maryland History Day, One Maryland One Book, Museum on Main Street, and Veterans Book Groups.
Grantees’ missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc says it works to preserve and promote the history, culture, and natural resources of its heritage area. Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Inc says it preserves and promotes historic sites, towns, cultural landscapes, and diverse stories. The Fire Museum of Maryland Inc says it restores and displays antique firefighting equipment and teaches firefighting history, safety, and prevention.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Maryland Humanities reported 109 grants totaling $1,213,389. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $75,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest reported award was $75,000 to The Emancipation Group for general operating support. Other notable awards included $21,500 each to Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc, Berlin Heritage Foundation Inc, and Indian Cultural Association of Howard County Inc, all for general operating support; and $20,000 to Fractured Atlas for general operating support.
The funder’s website describes the FY27 SHINE cycle as offering 80 general operating support grants of $5,000 each to Maryland nonprofits conducting humanities work. Applications were to be submitted through the program’s application form. Eligibility requirements include conducting humanities programming as a significant part of the organization’s work, being an IRS-compliant nonprofit physically located and registered in Maryland, serving Maryland residents as primary constituents, and having an annual budget of $500,000 or less. The guidelines exclude organizations focused primarily on creating or performing art, federally or state-funded agencies, academic institutions, and public libraries. The website also describes draft review and application support resources.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Chanel Johnson as chair, Dr. Ronald Nowaczyk as chair through January 2025, Alicia Jones as immediate past chair, Carmel Roques as vice chair, Soo Koo as secretary, and Ruth Kim as treasurer. It also lists Mary Hastler, Julia Madden, Allyson Black Woodson, and Christian Pulley as directors.
Maryland Humanities Council Inc is led by Lindsey Baker, CEO since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 28 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lindsey Baker
CEO
Executive Director → Chief Executive Officer, 2024
Chief Executive Officer → CEO, 2025
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$47K (2021) → $125K (2025)
Ronald Nowaczyk
Chair
Treasurer & Board of Directors → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chanel Johnson
Chair
Board of Directors → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeanne Pirtle
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julia Madden
Director
Government Liason & Board of Director → Government Liason, 2024
Government Liason → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Hastler
Director
Immediate Past Chair & Board of Director → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
Immediate Past Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Saima Sitwat
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Allyson Black Woodson
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kendra Brown
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly R. Moffitt
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marshall Stevenson Jr.
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mollie Caplis
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rachael Gibson
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shauna Knox
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tahira Christmon
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alejandra Balcazar
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Casemore
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christian Pulley
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jill Ferris
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kara French
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tamar Sarnoff
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Veronica Gallardo
Director
Board of Directors → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charmaine Weston
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Benton
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carmel Roques
Vice Chair
Secretary & Board of Directors → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Soo Koo
Secretary
Board of Directors → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alicia Jones
Immediate Past Chair
Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ruth Kim
Treasurer
Board of Directors → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (36)
- Former: Jennifer Shea (2019–2024) — Board of Directors
- Former: Rahne Alexander (2024) — Board of Directors
- Former: Guffrie Smith Jr. (2019–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Heather Mitchell (2019–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Nancy Rogers (2019–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Sharon Whitney (2019–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Alicia Jones McLeod (2020–2023) — Chair & Board of Directors
- Former: Chanel Compton (2020–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Mary Mateer Cummings (2022–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: The Honorable Ronald Pete Les (2022–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Tuajuanda Jordan (2022–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Keith Stone (2019–2022) — Vice Chair & Board of Directors
- Former: Dennett Edwards (2021–2022) — Director of Administrator
- Former: Cynthia Raposo (2019–2021) — Immediate Past Chair & Board of Directors
- Former: James Cornelsen (2019–2021) — Treasurer & Board of Directors
- Former: Jayson Williams (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Maarten Pereboom (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Mark Irwin (2019–2021) — Secretary & Board of Directors
- Former: Mary Kay Finan (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: The Honorable Ronald Pete Lesher (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Thomas Riford (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Tiffany McGhee (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Mary Callis (2020–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Randy Ontiveros (2020–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Soo Park (2020–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Allyson Black (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: Jim Kitterman (2019–2020) — Fiscal Officer
- Former: Phoebe Stein (2019–2020) — Executive Director
- Former: Rian Hargrave (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: Ron Nowaczyk (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: Scott Casper (2019–2020) — Secretary & Board of Directors
- Former: Tahira Mahdi (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: The Honorable Gale Rasin (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: The Honorable Stephen Sfekas (2019–2020) — Board of Directors
- Former: Elizabeth Cannon (2019) — Board of Directors
- Former: Silvia Golombek (2019) — Board of Directors
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $125K, to Lindsey Baker (CEO).
Frequently asked questions about Maryland Humanities Council Inc
How much does Maryland Humanities Council Inc give each year?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc gave $1.2M across 109 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $950K across 95 grants.
What is Maryland Humanities Council Inc's typical grant size?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $11,132, across 109 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Maryland Humanities Council Inc give grants?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc gives mostly in Maryland: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Baltimore, MD (21 grants), Silver Spring, MD (4 grants), Columbia, MD (4 grants) and Annapolis, MD (4 grants).
Does Maryland Humanities Council Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Maryland Humanities Council Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (109 of 109) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Maryland Humanities Council Inc's largest grantees?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc's largest 2025 grantees include The Emancipation Group ($75,000), Anacostia Trails Heritage Area Inc ($21,500) and Berlin Heritage Foundation Inc ($21,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 10% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Maryland Humanities Council Inc?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.0M.
What does Maryland Humanities Council Inc fund?
The Marilyn Hatza Memorial SHINE Grant Program supports general operating expenses for Maryland nonprofits conducting humanities programming. The funder describes the humanities as including fields such as history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, religious studies, and ethics. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Maryland Humanities Council Inc?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check mdhumanities.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Maryland Humanities Council Inc's EIN?
Maryland Humanities Council Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1102799. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 30, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Maryland Humanities Council Inc funds
Arts, Culture & Humanities Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Maryland Humanities Council Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Maryland Humanities Council Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/maryland-humanities-council-inc-morg_dce890792ff449b99e813cc36ff70598
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521102799_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Maryland Humanities Council Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/maryland-humanities-council-inc-morg_dce890792ff449b99e813cc36ff70598},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Maryland Humanities Council Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Maryland Humanities Council Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?