Entities controlled by Mujahid Muhammad, the former Baltimore City School Commissioner who resigned Wednesday night after the FBI searched a location connected to his nonprofit mental health organization, have received millions in taxpayer grants and contracts, records show.
A nonprofit called KEYS Empowers Inc. that lists the same address as its headquarters and Muhammad as the executive director reported receiving more than $4.7 million in government funds for the 2023 and 2024 tax years, tax filings show. That money made up the entirety of KEYS Empowers revenue for those years.
Tax filings from 2024 state that the mission of KEYS Empowers is providing “social support and guidance in becoming esteemed leaders with outstanding problem solving and conflict resolution skills.”
Muhammad has not returned multiple requests for comment. The FBI has not said what it was looking for; the agency does not typically comment on open investigations.
He controls several business entities in addition to KEYS Empowers, records show, to which legislators in Annapolis have approved various grants. In 2021, the General Assembly included $1 million in its capital bond budget to go toward a “community healing village” in West Baltimore.
In 2024, a $750,000 earmark went toward an east side project to build “Harmony Hub.” A fact sheet for the project contained in legislative records described it as a “multigenerational, state-of-the-art, energy efficient complex to provide physical and mental health services, nutritional, recreational, educational, community and social services resources to community members most impacted by social determinants of health.”
Legislative records indicate that money was ultimately not disbursed and redistributed this year to go toward redeveloping vacant homes in the 4X4 and Darley Park neighborhoods.
However, the General Assembly approved an additional $250,000 this year, also for the west side community healing village.
City funds have also been directed to Muhammad’s operations.
KEYS Empowers received $1 million from Baltimore’s federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation for the West Baltimore healing village. City officials posted on social media in 2025 that the investment supported planning for the community center which was expected provide mental health services, STEM job training and community meals.
The center, which was the site of groundbreaking ceremonies in both 2022 and 2025, remains under construction.
Muhammad has also been the beneficiary of city schools funds.
A Baltimore City Public Schools database lists a three-year multi-agency contract for mental health services that includes KEYS Development, another of Muhammad’s business entities. The contract began July 1, 2025, according to the database, but it does not specify how much money was awarded to the nonprofit.
A second school system database lists KEYS Development TA LLC as a vendor who received $5,000 or more. It is unclear if those are two separate contracts.
According to the school district’s website, except as authorized under the school board’s code of ethics, “vendors are prohibited from using the services of City Schools employees or officials (including members of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners) in performing or providing services.”
The district did not immediately explain how KEYS Development provided mental health services for the district under this policy and whether there was an exception made for KEYS.
The Banner has filed a public records request for the contracts and is awaiting the results.
Muhammad has used some of his companies, including the ones contracted by the school system, to make political donations over the years, records show. The majority of Muhammad’s political giving, $19,250 worth, has been evenly split between two Baltimore state senators: Antonio Hayes and Cory McCray, both Democrats who represent the city’s west side and east side, respectively.
Neither Hayes or McCray immediately returned a request for comment Thursday.
Banner reporter Maya Lora contributed to this article.
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