Loyola University Maryland received a $500,000 grant from the Aspen Institute to facilitate community projects and dialogue aimed at strengthening “social trust” among groups historically divided by race and income.
The grant, awarded to the Jesuit university on May 19, is part of the Aspen Institute’s Trust in Practice Award grants, which are sponsored by the insurance company Allstate. Loyola is one of 11 recipients of the grant.
According to a news release by Loyola, the grant will establish a program called “Rooted in Trust,” which will build on its York Road Community Day program. Its stated goal is to build trust across racial, generational, and socioeconomic divides.
The grant funds a two-year project through April 2028 that begins with several months of community dialogue and listening sessions between people from the east side and from the west side of York Road in North Baltimore, which the news release said was historically divided.
The west side of the divide has a higher white population and higher income, while the east side has a higher Black population and lower income, which is rooted in 1930s efforts to segregate the communities, according to a 2020 article in The Johns Hopkins Newsletter.
According to the Loyola news release, the dialogue sessions will help develop a plan for five greening and public space activation community projects. It’s not yet clear what the specific projects will be.
Each project will have one co-lead from the west side and one from the east side. The project site will have signs that explain the history and the culture of the area.
“The Rooted in Trust Program will start with community dialogues in order to understand how historic divides have shaped relationships, access, and use of space,” said Gia Grier McGinnis, Loyola executive director of the neighborhood resilience and community engagement.
“Then, through intergenerational environmental stewardship and placemaking activities, we hope deeper connections can form — both among people who might not otherwise interact and with spaces they reimagine together,” she said. “We are honored that the Aspen Institute and Allstate have given us this incredible opportunity, and we look forward to sharing what we learn with others across Baltimore and across the country.”
Loyola will lead the program that will include three other partners: the Govans-Boundary United Methodist Church; the York Road Partnership, which has more than 30 member organizations; and the York Road Improvement District.
“Rooted in Trust builds upon Loyola’s long-standing, place-based community development efforts in the Greater Govans and York Road corridor neighborhoods, which emphasize community-university collaboration and partnership,” Deb Cady Melzer, Loyola vice president of student development, said in a statement.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Aspen Institute and Allstate for this transformational award, which empowers Loyola and our neighbors to continue this important work,” she said.
The Aspen Institute launched the Trust in Practice Awards initiative in October 2025 with a $5 million donation from Allstate. According to a news release, the initiative is to fund community organizations that support civic engagement, volunteering, and bridging differences with intergenerational participants.
“In today’s interconnected world, trust among people is a key part of what strengthens our communities and country,” Dan Porterfield, Aspen Institute president and CEO, said in a statement at the time.
“The Trust in Practice Awards are an example of our joint commitment to building and sustaining trust across communities and among individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs,” he said. “We are grateful to Allstate for their leadership and partnership in this important effort.”
It was launched in response to Allstate research that found 41% of people said they generally trust other Americans.
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