Here are some examples of how we’ve helped others:

Reviving a Statewide Voice for Child Welfare Reform

The Coalition to Protect Maryland’s Children (CPMC) has been a trusted alliance of advocates since 1992, uniting pediatricians, attorneys, social workers, and service providers to protect Maryland’s most vulnerable youth.

But after its coordinating organization closed in 2021, CPMC lost vital leadership and momentum. Without a clear operational structure , the coalition struggled to engage its members, set objectives, analyze public policy, and determine child welfare reform strategies.

GROUT stepped in to help relaunch and rebuild. We conducted a statewide landscape assessment to identify priority policy and budgetary issues, advocacy strategies, information needs and implementation challenges. and potential stakeholders, We restructured the coalition’s governance, strengthened its membership model, and launched new Advocacy Teams to organize action around key objectives. We also introduced new tools — including a logo, website, legislative tracker, and shared communications channels — to support collaboration and visibility.

Now in the process of becoming its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CPMC is poised for long-term impact. With GROUT’s continued support, the coalition is preparing to hire its first coordinator, bring on interns, and maintain a sustainable structure to support member organizations and individuals seeking to help Maryland’s children be safe, be healthy, and thrive.

Keeping Longstanding Health Threats on the Global Agenda

When COVID-19 hit, global attention and funding shifted rapidly to pandemic response — threatening decades of progress in health and development. A coalition of advocates turned to GROUT to help keep other critical health priorities from falling through the cracks.

We launched Protecting Global Gains, a multimedia advocacy campaign that used storytelling and visual tools to spotlight local innovators working on longstanding health challenges. Through digital, social, and traditional platforms, we reframed the conversation: resilience in global health means investing in both emergency response and long-term systems.

The campaign helped sustain political and public focus on essential health programs — reinforcing the idea that progress on one front should never come at the expense of another.

Establishing a New Voice for Sensible Drug Policy

In Maryland’s drug policy space, one critical voice had long been missing: that of people with lived or living experience with substance use (PWLE), including directly impacted family members. While many advocacy groups championed reforms, few were truly led by those most affected — and existing agendas didn’t always reflect PWLE priorities or experiences.

After the defunding of a statewide decriminalization coalition in 2021 and failed attempts to revive drug policy reform efforts through traditional channels, advocates recognized the need for something new: a dedicated, PWLE-led organization. After assessing the policy and advocacy landscape, GROUT advised that a membership organization would best help identify common priority issues, policy reform recommendations, and advocacy tactics.

The Maryland Alliance for Sensible Drug Policy, a 501(c)(4) membership organization, and its sister 501(c)(3) the Maryland Fund for Sensible Drug Policy, now fill this gap. The 501(c)(3) will focus on organizing and training members and their allies, as well as engaging in policy research and public education, while the 501(c)(4) will be responsible for legislative advocacy, including direct and grassroots lobbying, and possibly endorsements and/or accountability efforts of elected officials.

GROUT guided the formation of both entities and helped recruit boards for both that include PLWE alongside technical and professional experts. We continue to mentor the inaugural leadership team as they build political power and reframe drug policy through a lens of dignity, health, and equity.