History

The Fuel Fund was incorporated in 1981 as the Fuel Fund of Central Maryland, following the nation’s first energy crisis in the late 1970s when an oil embargo squeezed supply and energy prices soared. Those hardest hit were the people least able to afford the dramatic cost increases.

Victorine Q. Adams, a Baltimore City councilwoman and noted civil rights activist, intervened, leading to the creation of the earliest version of the Fuel Fund. She was moved to act when an older couple in her council district froze to death in their home. Adams vowed that this would never happen again under her watch.

Today, an integrated network of fuel funds across the nation carries on Mrs. Adams’ vision.

With the onset of the deregulation of the electric utility industry, Fuel Fund changed its name to Fuel Fund of Maryland. Throughout its history, the Fuel Fund has focused solely on the essential energy needs of households for whom energy is unaffordable.

Households who receive help always pay a portion of the balance, and the Fuel Fund pays the rest to bring the balance down to zero, giving them a fresh start. In this way, the Fuel Fund supplements the resources of each household and ensures that applicants have “skin in the game” with their bill responsibility.

To utilize all available resources, the Fuel Fund refers applicants to government-funded programs operated by the state Office of Home Energy Programs. Often, these programs provide adequate assistance. If additional help is needed, the Fuel Fund of Maryland steps in and may be able to provide a financial grant for a qualifying household.

The Fuel Fund has prided itself on delivering crisis intervention programs efficiently, with accountability and sustainability for more than four decades. In 2024, the Fuel Fund of Maryland received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Transparency rating from GuideStar.