Legacy Forward Fund hands a quarter million to local organizations for America 250 projects

The Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) has awarded Legacy Forward Grants to 19 organizations across Baltimore City and County for public programming connected to the 250^th anniversary of the United States.

The funding totals $250,000 for supporting historical, cultural, educational, and place-based organizations who will create projects and programs related to America 250. BCF was able to designate this money through the Legacy Forward Fund, a grants program created to “celebrate America’s past, bring diverse communities together, and promote the democratic principles that have guided the nation for 250 years,” reads the page on the BCF website.

“Our country’s semiquincentennial should inspire, challenge, and unite us,” said Shanaysha Sauls, president and CEO of the Baltimore Community Foundation. “For America’s 250th, BCF is proudly supporting local exhibitions, performances, lectures, civic dialogue, public art, festivals, and educational programming that reflect the richness, history, and importance of Baltimore for the United States.  Not only is Legacy Forward a moment to reflect on the past and to project a future, this is an invitation to explore who we are, what endures, and what it means to be free, equal, and independent under the law.”

Some of the projects and programs funded highlight Maryland’s role in the founding and development of the United States. Others will focus on how different communities experienced American history and shaped the nation over the centuries. Taken together, they will offer Baltimore audiences a range of ways to engage with the 250^th anniversary through local history, public programming, and civic participation. The funded projects will take place between 2026 and 2027.

BCF awarded Legacy Forward Grants to the following organizations:

• B&O Railroad Museum for Tracks of Unity: America 250 at the B&O!, which explores Baltimore’s diverse communities through the lenses of railroading, labor, and civil rights.
• Bach in Baltimore for a 2026 concert season and a special free concert celebrating the first 250 years of American music.
• Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for America 250 programming that explores the nation’s founding and history through performance.
• Federal Hill Main Street for Multiple Voices, Shared Spaces, a series of guided walking tours exploring the meaning of “a more perfect union.”
• Fire Museum of Maryland for Fanning the Flames of Freedom, a partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools that includes a public festival and youth arts engagement.
• Foundation for Baltimore County Public Library for a series of community events, author visits, and a culminating lecture at Goucher College by an acclaimed author and presidential biographer.
• Girl Scouts of Central Maryland for a community block party and intergenerational discussion program commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
• Heritage Society of Essex and Middle River for a speaker series exploring democracy, freedom, and local contributions to the American story.
• Hippodrome Foundation for the SUFFS: The Musical Program Series, engaging Baltimore-area students in learning about civic activism, voting, and the women’s suffrage movement.
• Maryland African American Museum Corporation for THE LINES WE CROSS: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America, highlighting Black Marylanders who challenged the nation to live up to its founding ideals.
• MPT Foundation for Maryland: America in Miniature, a storytelling project collaboration with Maryland-based photographer Carol Highsmith, focused on Maryland’s landscapes, communities, and history.
• No Boundaries Coalition for a voter engagement program focused on civic participation and storytelling in West Baltimore.
• Pikesville Armory Foundation for a public event honoring Maryland Citizen Soldiers and examining Maryland’s pivotal role in the origins and defense of the United States.
• Pride of Baltimore for programming tied to Sail250 port festivals, offering audiences a connection to America’s maritime legacy.
• Star Spangled Banner Flag House Association for Maryland’s America: 250 Years of American History Through Marylander Eyes, a statewide community art project and museum exhibition.
• The Maryland Center for History and Culture for Maryland at 250: The Values That Shape Us, a public lecture and conversation series exploring Maryland’s role in defining constitutional values.
• The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture for Facing Forward: Baltimore’s Civic Dialogues for America at 250, a series examining major themes in American civic life.
• Todds Inheritance Historic Site for a Revolutionary War presentation series spanning the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
• Towson University Foundation for Summer at the Center Arts Festival: Voices of a Nation, featuring performances, exhibitions, and arts programming tied to America 250.

Mark Hanson, president and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, was thrilled to be able to provide the community with free music to help celebrate the nation’s milestone anniversary.

“The BSO’s Star-Spangled 250 concerts bring together music, community, and history in a setting that has become a beloved summer tradition,” Hanson said. “We’re excited to join Baltimore County in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States over two festive nights at Oregon Ridge, and to kick off a SummerFest season filled with great music, special guests, and opportunities for people to experience the Orchestra together all summer long.”

Katie Caljean is president and CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. She is excited to offer residents and visitors the opportunity for reflection and discussion.

“America250 is an opportunity to explore how Maryland history helps us better understand the nation’s past and the issues that continue to shape public life today,” Caljean said. “Through Maryland at 250: The Values That Shape Us, we hope to create opportunities for reflection, learning, and conversation around the ideas and values that continue to define us.”

“America250 offers The Lewis an opportunity to illuminate the profound contributions African Americans have made to the nation, tracing their arduous journey from enslavement to becoming innovative creators and shapers of American culture,” said Terri Lee Freeman, president of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. “The Lines We Cross exhibition will guide visitors from 1776 to 2026, highlighting the tenacity, perseverance, and ingenuity required not only to survive, but ultimately to thrive in a new and evolving nation,”

There are many Baltimore organizations recognizing the nation’s 250^th founding with events and programs. There will be four free festivals held during Sail250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore, and Harford County has developed a free app called “Celebration Trail” that encourages and helps people explore and learn about the county’s 63 historic sites.