Reinvestment Fund is reimagining neighborhood revitalization by combining expertise, analysis and creative approaches to investing with a social purpose. Our investments marry smart data to informed policies to create thriving, healthy neighborhoods that families are proud to call home.
Reinvestment Fund has been actively targeting arts investments in Central Baltimore, which is also home to the Station North Arts and Culture District. Among our recent projects is the Centre Theater. After nearly a decade of vacancy, the Theater was renovated to house a joint film program by Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institution College of Art as well as office space.
Read StoryPhiladelphia, September 21, 2016—Reinvestment Fund-financed 60th Street Corridor revitalization project featured by the Partnership for Public Service as it honors Lisa Jones, manager of the CDFI Fund Bond Guarantee Program (BGP). Ms. Jones is a 2016 recipient of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, or Sammie, which celebrates outstanding federal employees. In profiling Ms. Jones’ work, the Partnership showcased select projects from across the country that have benefited from the BGP. Among them is the 60th Street Corridor revitalization project, which Reinvestment Fund financed using BGP funds.
“Congratulations to Lisa Jones and her team at the CDFI Fund for this well-deserved recognition,” said Don Hinkle-Brown, CEO of Reinvestment Fund.
Read MoreIn Baltimore, Reinvestment Fund is developing a strategy to target investment in the arts to low-income communities in Central Baltimore, where it can catalyze and build on other complementary efforts. For one year, our Creative Placemaking Fellow, Rebecca Chan, was charged with the task of developing best practices for financing the arts in distressed neighborhoods in ways that build community among both new and existing residents. The following is the final in a four-part series on her work. Parts 1 and 2 spotlighted the artists and artist-driven activity that is happening in and around Baltimore, as well as the physical spaces and neighborhoods in which this activity thrives. Part 3 looks at ways in which shifts in policies and programs might help move the needle on arts-based development. In this fourth part, we hone in on strategies for investing in the physical spaces–arts and cultural infrastructure–that serve as sites for arts and cultural activity, and ideally build on and complement broader community development efforts in a neighborhood.