When Partnerships Turn Against the People: Our Experience with Baltimore County

• Author
• Recent Posts

Angela D. Coleman

Angela D. Coleman, Ìbíyínká Oladojá Oyèwọlá, is a nonprofit executive, social entrepreneur, and scholar-practitioner dedicated to transforming communities through innovation, systems-level thinking, and equity-centered solutions.

Latest posts by Angela D. Coleman (see all)

• Holistic Health in an Ever-Expanding Digital Age - August 19, 2026
• When Partnerships Turn Against the People: Our Experience with Baltimore County - April 14, 2026
• Sisterhood Agenda Hosts Community Giveaway Event - April 3, 2026

Sisterhood Agenda’s experience with Baltimore County is different.

Partnerships are essential. At Sisterhood Agenda, we believe in empowering households, building affordable housing, and serving our communities with integrity.

We also believe in holding both people and public partners accountable when the people’s tax dollars are involved, our operations are disrupted, quality of life is negatively impacted, and standard processes fail.

Sometimes, there is a learning curve to choosing good partners. Sisterhood Agenda’s recent experience with Baltimore County demonstrates the challenges nonprofits face when accountability and transparency clash with:

• Bureaucratic control
• Systemic discrimination
• Historical gatekeeping
• Government retaliation

Discrimination is detrimental.

A recent challenge

Sisterhood Agenda has managed countless grants and we have even won awards for grant and donor stewardship. To say that we were surprised by recent legal filings in Baltimore County is an understatement.

Sisterhood Agenda, Inc., a HUD-Certified CHDO, has diligently managed grant funds according to the HUD HOME CHDO Grant Agreement excecuted in 2024 by Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. and Baltimore County. Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. submitted reimbursement requests that were pre-approved, documented, reviewed, and approved by multiple County departments. Every dollar spent was for eligible, budget-approved purposes.

When a government agency initiates litigation with a small, charitable nonprofit organization for preapproved paid reimbursed project expenses, we have to wonder what the government agency is trying to achieve with this action.

Despite this, Baltimore County claimed that Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. was overpaid because some of the approved and paid reimbursements were not for eligible project expenses, even though they were approved and paid for exactly that reason. Following Sisterhood Agenda’s earnest response to address any discrepancies, Baltimore County engaged in actions that made it more difficult for Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. to operate effectively. These actions included:

• Failing to adhere to the terms of the HUD HOME CHDO Grant Agreement
• Changing the guidelines of the HUD HOME CHDO Grant Agreement, including timely payment of outstanding grant reimbursement requests, curative and mediation procedures for disputes
• Failing to communicate or meet with Sisterhood Agenda and HUD representatives for clarification and resolution
• Demanding repayment of preapproved, paid grant reimbursed funds without proper review
• Initiating litigation against Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. when a HUD Conciliation Conference was scheduled
• Filing aggressive legal proceedings to stike Sisterhood Agenda’s responses for default judgment before we could secure counsel

We believe this pattern reflects retaliation against Sisterhood Agenda for exercising our right to ensure proper accountability. Specifically:

Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. filed a HUD Complaint against Baltimore County. After finding evidence of systemic discrimination, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) opened a federal investigation against Baltimore County in 2024 that continues today. Note: this is Baltimore County’s second HUD investigation in the last ten years.

Taking a Stand: HUD Complaint Cites Councilman David Marks

This is an unfortunate reality that many nonprofits face when the status quo is challenged. And, when those in charge face even a little bit of accountability for not doing what they are supposed to do.

However difficult, status quo challenges are often a necessary part of fulfilling our nonprofit missions. We serve the people, not the political agenda of government gatekeepers.

It is our ideas, our words, our voices, and our actions that create the positive social change that propels us forward toward finding success, together.

A vision for a better tomorrow, no matter whether it’s achieved through education, human services, protecting the planet, or building housing, is not something that can be turned on and off like a faucet.

Sisterhood Agenda’s mission-driven work keeps going. We refuse to be intimidated into changing our projects and community activities where they are needed the most.

Why it matters

Nonprofit organizations like Sisterhood Agenda (and maybe like yours, too) depend on partnerships, many of them with public governement agencies, to provide access to essential services. When these partnerships fail, it’s the residents, families, and communities who suffer.

By sharing our story, we hope that you will learn, like we did, to choose your partners carefully and that it helps you to:

• Expose patterns of procedural obstruction and retaliation
• Encourage other nonprofits to be strategic, document, advocate, and protect themselves
• Demonstrate that standing up for integrity and fairness is not optional, it is essential
• Motivate yourself to keep going, don’t stop
• Know that the momentum is on our side

Our Commitment

Even under pressure, Sisterhood Agenda will not waver.

This experience has strengthened our resolve, not diluted it.  Advocacy, transparency, and persistence are non-negotiable, now, more than ever.

Sisterhood Agenda, Inc. has been actively seeking legal representation, defending our funding, promoting our vision, and making sure every project we implement and every home we build fulfills our promise to the community.

After 30 years of award-winning service, Sisterhood Agenda has the resilience to back up our passion for equity and justice.

We share this not to initiate, escalate, or settle disputes, but to show our community that standing up for what’s right is possible, and it is often a very necessary part of how we do the work.

Sisterhood Agenda
Empowering women and girls. Building homes. Beautifying our communities.