BALTIMORE, MD.  — Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young and the Baltimore Development Corporation have announced that 10 Baltimore City manufacturers and organizations were awarded grants to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) listed on the Maryland Department of Commerce’s COVID-19: Maryland Critical Needs List. 

The list of businesses as well as what they produce are as follows:

• Dent Education (face shields)
• Mount Royal Soaps (hand sanitizer)
• SewLab USA LLC (face masks)
• Regal Clothes LLC (face masks)
• DIFFERENTREGARD Co LLC (face masks and isolation gowns)
• Open Works (face shields)
• Chase Street Accessories LLC (face masks and face shields)
• Citywide Youth Development (face masks and isolation gowns)
• Revolution Events (face masks and isolation gowns)
• Earth Elements Soapworks (hand sanitizer and hand soap)

“It is crucial that we protect our first-responders and healthcare workers with the right equipment as they are on the frontline in battling this virus,” said Mayor Young.  “It has been gratifying to see so many Baltimore businesses and makers step up and adapt to produce much needed Personal Protective Equipment and we are happy to support them with these grants.”

BDC’s Made In Baltimore program has been helping city’s makers and manufacturers identify additional resources and helped promote and administer this grant fund as well. These grants will help small businesses and manufacturers off-set costs associated with equipment modifications, procuring raw materials, and employee wages so that they can provide PPE, which is vital in the fight against COVID-19.  All of the grant recipients are either minority or women-owned businesses or non-profits with youth workforce missions.

“We’re grateful that the Mayor provided an additional $100,000 in grants to support minority and women-owned small businesses and organizations employing young people,” said Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation.  “By assisting these enterprises to scale up production of PPE will not only benefit first responders and healthcare workers, but also the businesses as they will also need protective equipment once the reopening process begins.”