With our main campuses located in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is truly and proudly a city resident. Our commitment to our local communities is based on the simple truth that the health and well-being of the university is inextricably tied to the physical, social, and economic well-being of the city in which we live. Our founder and namesake, Johns Hopkins, put forth that idea when he made a bequest to establish a university and a hospital.
As the city’s largest anchor institution, Johns Hopkins feels the constant pull of urban issues. Our faculty, staff, students, and administrators answer the call on a daily basis, in ways both large and small, from volunteering as tutors in local schools to contributing nearly $5 billion in economic output in the city.
Economic Inclusion and Partnerships
As the largest anchor institution in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University and Health System stand in service for the city, working together with business and community partners to listen to the direct needs of community residents and respond with actionable programs and initiatives.
The HopkinsLocal initiative, launched in 2015, amplifies this mission by leveraging Johns Hopkins’ economic power to expand participation of local and minority-owned businesses in construction opportunities; increase hiring of city residents, with a focus on neighborhoods in need of job opportunities; and enhance economic growth, employment, and investment in Baltimore through targeted purchasing activities.
Modeled after the success of HopkinsLocal, BLocal is a commitment by Baltimore-area businesses to leverage their collective influence to help strengthen the city and create opportunities for Baltimoreans.
Vision for Baltimore
Students who received eyeglasses through the Vision for Baltimore program scored higher on reading and math tests, Johns Hopkins researchers found in the largest-ever U.S. clinical study of the impact of glasses on education.
Some additional examples of our community connections:
- Johns Hopkins co-operates the Henderson-Hopkins School in East Baltimore; when it opened in 2014, it was the first new school built in East Baltimore in more than 20 years, and it was recently recognized as one of Baltimore’s best schools by U.S. News & World Report
- Each fall, more than 1,000 members of the faculty, staff, and student body come together for President’s Day of Service to tackle hundreds of small projects—mulching trees, or painting school classrooms, or planting community gardens.
- SOURCE, founded in 2005 to centralize community service and service-learning efforts at the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health in East Baltimore, has more than 100 partnerships with community-based organizations across Baltimore.
- The Tutorial Project brings approximately 120 city elementary school students to our Homewood campus twice a week each semester for help with reading and math.
- Our Adopt-a-Student Uniform Drive has provided uniforms for more than 4,500 Baltimore City Public School students over the past 10 years.
- Dozens of students spend their summers working for community-focused charitable groups and social service agencies across Baltimore as part of our Community Impact Internships Program.
- The Center for Social Concern provides a base for more than 50 student-led programs that serve Baltimore communities. In 2016–2017, volunteers performed more than 96,000 hours of work through these programs.
From the Hub
Community
Published
April 29, 2025
Better lighting, streets, and landscapes planned for area around the K-8 school in East Baltimore’s Eager Park neighborhood
Research Matters
Published
March 4, 2025
The CAPABLE program, launched in 2012 by Sarah Szanton, demonstrates how a single NIH seed grant can blossom years later
Community
Published
Jan 30, 2025
HopOn Harm Reduction hands out free syringes, Narcan, and other supplies to decrease the dangers and stigmas surrounding drug use
Economic Development
Published
June 27, 2022
Office of Economic Development releases its first Impact Report, which highlights initiatives and partnerships integral to Johns Hopkins’ community efforts
Community safety
Published
June 27, 2022
The Innovation Fund for Community Safety marks its first year supporting programs that aim to address the root causes of violence in Baltimore
