Maryland Humanities Council Inc
Maryland Humanities Council Inc is a public charity based in Baltimore, Maryland. Formed in 1977, it supports humanities programming across Maryland through grants to nonprofits and its own public programs.
Key facts about Maryland Humanities Council Inc
In short: Maryland Humanities Council Inc gave $1.2M across 109 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Maryland. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 52-1102799
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,213,389
- Grants made (2025)
- 109
- Average grant
- $11,132
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,099,451
- Primary geography
- Maryland (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Deadline
- September 13, 2026, for the FY27 cycle; this deadline has passed.
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$2.1M
-19.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.2M
+27.7% YoY
Grant Count
109
+14.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
+11.3% YoY
How Maryland Humanities Council Inc gives
- 39% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
Maryland Humanities says its mission is to create and support bold experiences that explore and elevate shared stories to connect people, enhance lives, and enrich communities. Its programming includes public activities related to history, reading and literacy, and other humanities disciplines; programs named in its 2024 filing include Maryland History Day, One Maryland One Book, Museum on Main Street, and Veterans Book Groups.
Its SHINE grant program supports general operating expenses for nonprofits whose work has a significant humanities focus. The council’s eligibility information includes museums, historic sites, preservation and historical societies, and community and cultural organizations. Examples of grantees’ work include the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area’s efforts to preserve and promote local history, culture, and natural resources; the Fire Museum of Maryland’s work teaching firefighting history and safety; and the Captain Avery Museum’s work sharing local Chesapeake history.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the council reported 109 grants totaling $1,213,389. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $75,000, with a median of $10,000. All listed 2025 grants were for general operating support. Notable awards included $75,000 to The Emancipation Group; $21,500 each to Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, Berlin Heritage Foundation, and Indian Cultural Association of Howard County; and $20,000 to Fractured Atlas.
Review Cycle
September 13, 2026, for the FY27 cycle; this deadline has passed.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Maryland Humanities Council Inc
Ready to take the next step with Maryland Humanities Council Inc?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The council describes its grants as supporting humanities nonprofits throughout Maryland. In filing year 2025, 98% of 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
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.
Grant Insights
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%).
Giving History
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 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,099,451 | $2,991,430 | $3,202,157 | $1,213,389 |
| 2024 | $2,609,331 | $3,005,485 | $3,000,638 | $950,000 |
| 2023 | $2,172,943 | $1,807,993 | $2,457,187 | $500,000 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,099,451 | $2,609,331 | $2,172,943 |
| Revenue | $2,991,430 | $3,005,485 | $1,807,993 |
| Expenses | $3,202,157 | $3,000,638 | $2,457,187 |
| Net Investment Income | $63,696 | $51,419 | $53,165 |
Data update history
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
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing include Chanel Johnson, chair; Dr. Ronald Nowaczyk, chair through January 2025; Alicia Jones, immediate past chair; Carmel Roques, vice chair; Soo Koo, secretary; Ruth Kim, treasurer; and directors Mary Hastler, Julia Madden, Allyson Black Woodson, and Christian Pulley.
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).
Contact
Mailing address: 3600 Clipper Mill Rd Ste 320, Baltimore, MD 21211
Phone: (410) 685-0095
Website: https://mdhumanities.org
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?
Maryland Humanities says its mission is to create and support bold experiences that explore and elevate shared stories to connect people, enhance lives, and enrich communities. 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 September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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