Matthew Gallagher

Matthew D. Gallagher has served as President and CEO of the Goldseker Foundation since June 2013, when he succeeded Dr. Timothy D. Armbruster (who retired after a 34-year tenure). A Baltimore native, Gallagher attended Calvert Hall College High School, graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics from La Salle University (on a full academic scholarship), and earned a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute (as a Fels Scholar).

Gallagher built his career in public-sector management. His first job out of college was with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's education programs, followed by a role in Philadelphia Mayor Edward G. Rendell's administration. Returning to Baltimore, he worked with the Greater Baltimore Committee before joining Martin O'Malley's administration. As the first director of CitiStat — Baltimore's data-driven government-accountability program — he oversaw an operation that measured everything from water-main breaks to overtime pay; CitiStat won Harvard University's Innovations in American Government Award in 2004. He went on to serve as Chief of Staff to Governor O'Malley, overseeing 18 cabinet agencies and the day-to-day operations of Maryland's executive branch, capping roughly 13 years working alongside O'Malley.

At the Goldseker Foundation — established in 1975 through a roughly $11 million bequest from Baltimore real-estate investor Morris Goldseker — Gallagher leads a foundation that has distributed well over $130–140 million to some 700 nonprofit organizations across Baltimore. He has also taught public policy and administration at the University of Baltimore and UMBC and lectured at Harvard's Kennedy School and Penn's Fels Center.

Beyond the foundation, Gallagher is deeply embedded in Baltimore civic infrastructure. He has chaired or co-chaired Baltimore Corps, Baltimore's Promise, and the BOOST program, and serves on the boards of the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council, Mercy Health, Teach for America (Baltimore), and the Maryland Club, among others. Prior board roles include the Baltimore Community Foundation, Parks & People Foundation, Catholic Charities of Maryland, the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, and Maryland Citizens for the Arts.

• The foundation's stated mission is to "invest in people and institutions toward a socially and economically healthy future for Baltimore" — a grantmaking, not equity-investing, mandate.
• Concentrates grants in three core areas: community/neighborhood development, education, and strengthening the nonprofit sector, with recent grantees also spanning housing, immigration, food access, youth development, workforce development, and civic life.
• Emphasizes being "a directly engaged and active partner with grantees" — providing both operating support and special-project support rather than passive check-writing.
• Grants typically fall in the ~$15,000–$100,000 range; grantmaking is exclusively focused on the Baltimore metropolitan area.
• Accepts unsolicited applications from eligible 501(c)(3), 509(a), and fiscally sponsored organizations, beginning with a brief letter describing the program.