Baltimore Launches Historic Neighborhood Revitalization Effort Through Private Capital Partnership

The Greater Baltimore Committee has taken a significant step forward in Baltimore's comprehensive neighborhood revitalization efforts by releasing a Request for Information seeking partners to design and implement a private capital strategy. This initiative represents the next phase in the city's historic 15-year, multi-billion-dollar vacant housing and community redevelopment program supported by the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore and BUILD Baltimore.

Mark Anthony Thomas, President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, emphasized the collaborative nature of this undertaking. Maryland's strength has always been in its ability to bring the public and private sectors together to solve complex challenges. This is our moment to apply that same ingenuity to Baltimore's most historically disinvested neighborhoods and to design bold, practical ways to deploy, align, and administer capital so it truly drives lasting change. We're seeking great ideas and capable partners who can help us build the financial architecture that makes neighborhood reinvestment work at scale.

The RFI specifically targets investment firms, banks, Community Development Financial Institutions, philanthropies and financial experts capable of designing and managing investment vehicles that align with public funding commitments and local priorities. The selected partner or consortium will play a crucial role in developing strategies to attract and deploy private investment while ensuring financing approaches complement public objectives for neighborhood strengthening.

Jennifer Vey, Executive Vice President of GBC, highlighted the broader economic implications of this initiative. This process will help Baltimore build the financial infrastructure to support block by block redevelopment. Our goal is to bring together civic and financial partners who understand that rebuilding Baltimore's housing market is essential to the Region's economic future.

The financial architecture outlined in the RFI includes opportunities to establish pooled financing structures that would provide working capital loans, construction loans, rental term debt, and shared appreciation mortgages. These instruments are specifically designed to support the redevelopment of vacant housing and surrounding communities, creating a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation.

The initiative operates under the coordination of Reinvest Baltimore, established by Governor Wes Moore's 2024 Executive Order, demonstrating the high-level governmental support for this comprehensive approach to urban renewal. The full RFI and submission guidelines are available online at https://gbc.org.

Key deadlines for the RFI process include October 25, 2025 for questions, November 1, 2025 for published responses to questions, and November 21, 2025 for final RFI submissions. As the private-sector lead for this initiative, GBC is positioned to identify partner organizations that can help mobilize private and philanthropic investment aligned with public commitments.

This neighborhood reinvestment program represents the largest such effort in Baltimore's history and could serve as a model for other cities facing similar challenges with vacant properties and neighborhood disinvestment. The successful implementation of this private capital strategy has the potential to transform Baltimore's housing market, stimulate economic growth, and create sustainable communities through strategic alignment of public and private resources.