Hours before his term as City Council President was over, Nick Mosby arranged for eight entities, including a for-profit gaming shop and his high school alma mater, to receive $1,075,000 in public dollars.

At Mosby’s direction, M.A.P. Technologies, a gaming and video arcade established on the site of Kenny Jackson’s Eldorado strip club, was awarded $160,000 today by the Board of Estimates.

The funds came from a community grants program controlled by the Council President’s office, which was handed $3.9 million in supplemental general funds arising from unexpected budget surpluses in October.

The grants program allows lawmakers to distribute funds to organizations of their choosing – free of competitive bidding, a merit-based allocation process or any fiscal oversight.

While several other councilmembers have tapped into the fund, Mosby has dominated the process.

Last month, he earmarked $400,000 in grants to three groups, including $50,000 for a Thanksgiving meal for the needy sponsored by a nonprofit founded by ex-Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain.

Among the grants awarded today are $250,000 to a youth math and literacy program, $100,000 to the Maryland Justice Project, and $125,000 to the foundation representing Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, the high school where Mosby graduated.

The grant awards were approved by Mayor Brandon Scott, Comptroller Bill Henry, Solicitor Ebony Thompson and Public Works Director Khalil Zaied as Mosby chaired the meeting.

There was no discussion about the awards by the BOE and no media coverage, which instead was focused on Mosby’s emotional plea to President Joe Biden to pardon his ex-wife, Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore’s former state’s attorney now on home detention following perjury and mortgage fraud convictions.

Not in Good Standing

M.A.P. Technologies is named after its founder, Michael Peace, his brother Ameer and their last name. It started out as an electronic repair shop that morphed into a full-fledged gaming center that hosts tournaments and coding camps. Peace calls it a safe heaven for city youth and a tool for educating students in computer technology.

The company was incorporated in 2015, forfeited in 2017 and reinstated in March 2023, according to state records.

It is listed as “not in good standing” with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation for failing to file annual personal property reports, which makes it ineligible for government funding.

The $160,000, however, will be funneled through Associated Black Charities, a local nonprofit that acts as M.A.P.’s fiscal sponsor.

According to the grant agreement, the money will be used for a 5,000-square-foot gaming and tech lab, to open by the summer of 2025, with “high-end hardware, infrastructure upgrades and necessary staffing.”

Campaign Contributors

Mosby also directed $250,000 to The Ryan Institute, which assists schoolchildren in literacy and math skills with online courses and also maintains a storefront office at the Raven Shopping Center in Northeast Baltimore. The company was incorporated in 2012 by Dontae Ryan and his wife, Antoynica, as a for-profit educational center.

Dontae Ryan contributed $500 to Mosby’s campaign last December and $100 during his 2020 bid for the office. Mosby lost to Councilman Zeke Cohen, who will be sworn into the Council president position tomorrow.

The Ryans are also active supporters of Mayor Scott and feature Scott interacting with Mrs. Ryan and others on their Facebook page.

Other Recipients

Also earmarked by Mosby and approved by the Board of Estimates were funds to these groups:

• $150,000 to Associated Black Charities for workforce development. Mosby and his former wife, ex-Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, have frequented ABC events for years. In 2023, he was the featured speaker at ABC’s Teen Financial Literacy Workshop. In September while on home detention following her conviction on federal mortgage fraud and perjury charges, Marilyn Mosby was an invited guest to an ABC showing of a documentary on the 2015 death of Freddie Gray.

• $100,000 to A Prosperous Tomorrow, a group founded by businessman Devin Jackson to “drive digital equity, advance inclusion and empower communities.” In 2020, Jackson contributed $500 to the “Friends of Nick Mosby” campaign committee. Two months ago, Mayor Scott handed out a $200,000 grant to A Prosperous Tomorrow as part of his Digital Inclusion Strategy, defined as “a community-led plan to ensure that communities have access to the technologies and resources needed to succeed in today’s world.”

• $140,000 to Elev8 Baltimore, a nonprofit that coordinates with schools to meet student needs in West Baltimore and Cherry Hill and provides college and career readiness programs.

• $125,000 to the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Foundation & Alumni Association for a softball dugout and a laundry list of athletic equipment. Mosby is a graduate of the school. His daughters also have attended Poly.

• $100,000 to the Maryland Justice Project for a job training program in installing solar panels. The group’s executive director, Monica Cooper, has been a longtime political backer of both Marilyn and Nick Mosby.

• $50,000 to The Flowers Whiting Initiative, a group established by U.S. Army veteran Derrick Whiting to help reintegrate veterans and returning citizens to civilian life.

In November, Mosby directed $250,000 to The Harbor Group Association Inc., known as The G.R.O.W. Program, which says it will use the money to train 80 individuals in construction and nursing/daycare.

At the same time, $100,000 was given to The Sanctuary Collective to buy gym equipment for a repurposed church, and $50,000 went to 53 Families Foundation Inc. to help provide Baltimore families with a sit-down thanksgiving dinner.