The Franciscan Center of Baltimore, is a 501(c)3 organizations that works principally in metropolitan Baltimore, primarily in the neighborhood of Charles Village, Baltimore City. We are an active member of Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
The Franciscan Center provides a multi-faceted approach to meeting the immediate crises that are faced by financially disenfranchised residents of Baltimore, while providing opportunities for these individuals and families to transition to greater financial security.
We serve the people of Baltimore with care and dignity, regardless of age, race, color, creed, or religious background.
Organization’s history, mission, goals and how this proposal relates to these items:
The Franciscan Center is a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, women of faith, with a 160 year history and strong commitment to meeting the needs of the poor, disabled, seniors, and the disadvantaged.
The Center was founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore in 1968 (the Franciscan Sisters merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in 2001). The Center grew out of the Sisters’ experience of tending to the needs of “street people” who came to the doors of the orphanage on the corner of 23rd Street and Maryland Avenue dating back to the early 1900s. The Nuns were very grateful that they never turned anyone away even during the Depression.
In 1968, the Sisters received a small legacy that was used to begin the Franciscan Center in a separate building. The services offered by the Center have grown during the past 41 years in direct response to the needs of the poor, the disadvantaged, and the homeless who continue to come to the doors. The Center not only strives to meet the immediate urgent needs of these individuals but also provide opportunities to assist them to enhance their employment and living situations. This ministry has a strong foundation which is built on the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore’s service to the poor and orphaned in the city of Baltimore dating back to 1881.
The goal as an organization is to strive towards a time that the service no longer needs to exist. Until that time comes, the Franciscan Center will continue to serve those with critical needs and help guide them towards a more self-sufficient life. This proposal will address a growing need that the Franciscan Center has identified, and how a grant from the Goldseker Foundation can enable the Center to continue to provide for the needs of Baltimore’s at risk peoples.
