Annual Report 2021: Stories of Impact

In 2018, Jennifer Goold, Executive Director of Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) in Baltimore, wondered how she could translate some recent management training into action. She found herself constantly running around to raise money and strengthen her programming – without time to create more visionary projects and engage more of the community. “It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations,” she said.

The 50-year-old organization she leads – which engages community members in design and planning projects to build healthier, more equitable neighborhoods – was at a crossroads.

Then the phone rang: NDC had been accepted into the Arts Innovation and Management program. “Bloomberg Philanthropies allowed us to dream bigger and create visible, innovative projects that could engage the community,” she explained.

AIM helped her launch two major projects. In East Baltimore, NDC created a designer-in-residence program that hosted three art fellows who created public space art projects. And in Signal Station North, NDC catalyzed a creative project to better light public spaces and enliven the neighborhood.