Advance Maryland serves our community by partnering with organizations across the state who share our values and vision for Maryland. In addition to our partner work, we invest in several projects and coalitions with sustained, in-depth efforts. Members of our team serve on their leadership teams, and guide strategic planning, digital, and communications, and policy advocacy. We often run social media accounts, lead legislative strategy, provide operational support, create media guides, write press releases, and much more.
Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition (TRAC) is a trans-led group organizing to improve the wellbeing of transgender Marylanders, & ensure that all of us are able to live safe, affirming, & prosperous lives. In 2023, TRAC led a successful push to pass the Trans Health Equity Act, which mandates that Maryland Medicaid cover gender-affirming care.There’s still plenty of work to do to protect and expand the rights of trans Marylanders. From protecting access to gender-affirming care to ensuring that incarcerated trans people are treated with dignity, the work continues.
The Maryland Youth Justice Coalition (MYJC) is a group of youth advocates, juvenile public defenders, national criminal justice reform organizations, social service providers, and more committed to transforming our youth justice system. We know that care, not cages, makes our communities safer and gives kids the support they need to not be defined by their worst moments. MYJC has been instrumental in the passage of landmark youth justice reform legislation like the Juvenile Restoration Act and the Child Interrogation Protection Act. Now, MYJC is committed to passing the Youth Equity and Safety Act, which would end the harmful practice of automatically charging children as adults.
Maryland Climate, Energy & Infrastructure Funding Hub
The Maryland Climate, Energy & Infrastructure Funding Hub (MCIEF Hub) is a cohort of over 15 organizations working to ensure that Maryland receives ample federal money being distributed from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Groups will be engaging with decision makers, offering technical assistance, and directly applying for grants to ensure a just transition and meet our ambitious climate goals with community based solutions centered. The coalition will focus on securing grants for environmental justice, climate pollution reduction, building and home rebate programs, and transportation.
Tax Credits for Maryland Families (TCMF) is a coalition of community-led organizations, nonprofits, and Marylanders working to strengthen the tax credits that give hundreds of thousands of working families in Maryland the opportunity to thrive. Working family tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) help Marylanders afford basics like transportation and child care, so they can take care of their families and contribute to their communities and our economy. In 2023, TCMF led the charge to make the pandemic expansions of the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits permanent in Maryland.
In 2021, our team began to establish a network of nonprofits, service providers and grassroots advocates with shared values who could ensure community voices shape state government priorities for the next four years and help Maryland’s next governor pursue policies that address critical issues from building thriving communities and taking bold climate action, to criminal justice reform, good jobs, worker protections, educational excellence, and reliable transportation. We convened 16 workgroups, gathered 20 community surveys, and oversaw 150 contributors as they developed 5 policy memos and 8 reports.
In addition to the sustained, in-depth work we do with our other projects and coalitions,our team provides on-call strategic, communications, and digital support to many other efforts and organizations. Our team has worked with Renters United Maryland to expand and strengthen Maryland’s tenant protection laws, provided critical messaging guidance about threats to abortion access, and successfully advocated for legislation and an Executive Order to protect gender affirming care in Maryland.
Our efforts are stronger when we undertake them together. That’s why our team is working to build a progressive communications hub in Maryland – a place where progressive advocates working on a wide array of policy issues can come together to strategize, create, and amplify our shared goals and values. If you’re interested in joining our effort, please contact us.
