Associated Black Charities was founded in 1985 to represent and respond to issues of special significance to Maryland's African American communities, and to foster coordinated leadership on issues concerning these communities.

Fifteen years later, Associated Black Charities is widely recognized as a catalyst for community development that provides funding for programs and is respected for its role in community planning and service coordination.

Associated Black Charities opened its doors with donated offices, a United Way-sponsored planning grant of $100,000, three staff members and 45 leadership volunteers. Today, Associated Black Charities owns its headquarters building, has over 14,000 contributing members, a healthy, growing endowment and an operational budget of $3.5 million. Once 100% financially dependent on the United Way of Central Maryland, Associated Black Charities has reduced this dependency to less than 2%. Moreover, through individual memberships and corporate and foundation support, Associated Black Charities has been able to provide more than $6 million and 5,400 hours of technical assistance to over 400 community-based organizations throughout Maryland that have positively impacted thousands of lives.

Governed by a 30 member board of directors and run by a chief executive officer with a three person administration and program management team, Associated Black Charities' current staff structure totals 40 positions. The organization has nine standing committees of more than 200 community volunteers and enjoys the adhoc involvement of an average of 250 additional volunteers annually for special projects and fundraising events.

In addition to our role as a grantmaker, Associated Black Charities has become a rallying point for the region's African American leadership. The organization is an important resource for pooling African American dollars and several individuals and organizations have trusted Associated Black Charities to manage/administer their charitable giving process. The Howard "Pete" Rawlings Fund for Excellence in Public Policy; Harold and Magdalene Fennell's Hilton Education Club Scholarship Fund; the Cary Beth Cryor Scholarship Fund; the Dr. Maxie Collier Family Fund, The Will & Jada Smith Family Fund, The Change Fund and the Mark & Matthew Reid Fund and The William and Victorine Adams Foundation's Future Business Leaders Scholarship Fund each speak to different philanthropic interests, but all convey trust in Associated Black Charities' ability to effectively manage our community's charitable assets.

Through out its history, Associated Black Charities has engaged in periodic Strategic Planning. During the 1998 process, the organization conducted town meetings across Maryland for citizens to discuss community concerns and help to guide the organization's future directions. The result was an ambitious strategic vision and five-year plan, "Piloting Programs, Policy and Purpose into the 21st Century." The organization has since been about the business of implementation. Our work has been focused in the three priority areas identified in the plan: strengthening our primary grants and program funding areas of family preservation, community development and economic development; enhancing our fundraising, marketing and public policy abilities; and expansion into Prince Georges County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.