Living Classrooms has launched the Tomorrow’s Promise Campaign, an ambitious goal of raising $70 million to sustain and scale our life-shifting education and workforce development programs serving individuals living in historically marginalized communities in Baltimore and Washington, DC. We have currently achieved 75% of this goal and aim to meet or surpass the goal by spring 2026. The Campaign goals include expanding our suite of customized job-training programs at the new Bauer Workforce Opportunity Center; expanding our Crossroads School from a 6-8 middle school to a K-8th grade; building a new Workforce Development Center on the Anacostia River; scaling our work in census-tracked neighborhoods in the Target Investment Zone of East Baltimore; and raising important funds to grow our endowment. At this 75% Campaign milestone, several generous supporters have recently pledged $3.21 million to create a powerful matching gift challenge. This special opportunity will allow future donors to make their gift go twice as far, doubling the impact, the reach, and the lives transformed. Please join us in this important endeavor to not only have more impact but to also ensure continuity of Living Classrooms’ programs and services for generations to come. Learn more about the Campaign goals, and donate below.
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary in Baltimore and our 25th anniversary in Washington, DC, our philosophy of “learning by doing” remains the guiding principle for our engaging hands-on programs that harness the talents, energy, and contributions of communities that have experienced historic disinvestment. Throughout our decades of service, we have faced local and national crises—recessions, community upheaval, and a global pandemic. While we have weathered these storms and remained flexible to ensure continued provision of quality programming, we recognize the need to be prepared for any situation.
Campaign Initiatives
Expand the Crossroads School
$25 million to expand the Crossroads School, a tuition-free, public charter school adjacent to Harbor Point, from a 6-8 grade middle school for 162 students to a K-8 school for 425 students. The future campus is being designed by Ziger Snead Architects.
Support Priority & Long-Term Needs in Baltimore
$5 million to support priority and long-term needs in Baltimore.
Baltimore Target Investment Zone
$20 million to sustain and scale Living Classrooms programs in neighborhoods within the Target Investment Zone of East Baltimore, a holistic place-based strategy aimed at disrupting the cycle of poverty through education and wellness, workforce development, community safety programs, and community hubs such as the UA House and POWER House.
Support Priority & Long-Term Needs in Washington DC
$5 million to support priority and long-term needs in Washington, DC.
Baltimore Workforce Development
$5 million to empower and train Baltimore’s workforce with the building renovation and opening of the Bauer Workforce Opportunity Center, now a hub for customized job training.
Expand Workforce Development & Education Services in Washington DC
$10 million in Washington DC to construct a 17,000 square-foot Workforce Development/Education Center designed by Studios Architecture on the Anacostia River next to the Navy Yard located in Ward 8 and modeled after Living Classrooms’ Baltimore headquarters.