CLLCTIVLY’s six-month fellowship, developed with the University of Pennsylvania, supports Baltimore leaders advancing community ventures.

BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, March 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Fellows participating in the Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin Social Impact Fellowship recently took part in a Baltimore Social Impact Immersion Tour, engaging directly with founders, artists, and community builders whose work reflects the city’s growing ecosystem of mission-driven enterprises and cultural spaces.

The six-month fellowship, hosted by CLLCTIVLY and developed in partnership with the Center for Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania, supports leaders advancing community-rooted ventures across Baltimore. The current cohort includes 18 fellows working across sectors including arts, education, health, entrepreneurship, and technology, each bringing forward ideas designed to strengthen communities across the region.

Fellows participate in a cohort-based learning experience that includes leadership development, Sacred Memory practices, and a $2,000 monthly stipend to support their work while participating in the program.

The immersion tour offered Fellows an opportunity to learn in the field and build relationships with local entrepreneurs and cultural leaders ahead of the program’s upcoming Venture Showcase, where participants will present the initiatives they are developing to strengthen communities across the region.

The day began at The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, where Dr. Joanne Martin, sociologist and co-founder of the museum, reflected on the Black Helping Tradition and reminded Fellows that community development and cultural development go hand in hand.

From there, Fellows traveled across Baltimore visiting organizations that demonstrate the intersection of culture, creativity, entrepreneurship, and community:

• Oyin Handmade, where founder Jamyla Bennu shared the story of building a globally recognized natural hair care brand rooted in creativity and purpose.
• 228 Grant Street Candle Company, where Kendal Brown led a candle-making experience and reflected on the power of legacy and using what’s already in your hand.
• Library Nineteen, where co-founder Kuo Pao Lian guided Fellows through the thoughtfully designed space, demonstrating how libraries and cultural spaces can be reimagined as places for gathering and learning.
• The Last Resort Artist Retreat, where Victoria Adams and Arthur Fitzhugh shared their vision for a space dedicated to artistic practice, reflection, and restoration.

The immersion experience is one component of the fellowship’s broader leadership journey, which culminates in the Martin Fellowship Venture Showcase, where Fellows will present their ventures and initiatives to community members, partners, and supporters.

The fellowship honors the legacy of Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin, founders of the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum and pioneering sociologists whose research and writing on the Black Helping Tradition documented the enduring practices of mutual aid, collective care, and community networks that sustain Black communities.
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CLLCTIVLY is a Baltimore-rooted ecosystem building shared infrastructure for social impact by connecting people, organizations, and capital across the region.

Learn more at cllctivly.org

Jamye Wooten
CLLCTIVLY
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