Maryland Natural Resources Grants

This funding opportunity supports community organizations in Maryland with projects that promote environmental stewardship, civic engagement, and local solutions to environmental issues through activities like clean-ups, education, and tree planting.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Maryland-based organizations to plan and develop resilient energy systems that enhance sustainability and community resilience against climate impacts.

This program provides funding to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants to upgrade their systems for better nitrogen removal, improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

This funding opportunity is designed to support Frederick County farmers and agricultural businesses in expanding or diversifying their operations through investments in essential capital assets.

This grant provides funding for community organizations and local governments to engage in environmental outreach, education, and restoration projects aimed at improving water quality and ecological health in the Jones Falls watershed of Maryland.

This funding opportunity supports community-driven tree planting projects in underserved urban areas of Maryland to improve environmental quality and promote equity.

This grant provides financial and technical support to local governments, academic institutions, and non-profits for projects that improve water quality, restore waterways, enhance climate resilience, and promote environmental stewardship in Maryland.

This grant provides funding for local governments and non-profit organizations to design and construct habitat restoration projects that combat erosion and flooding while benefiting communities and addressing climate change.

This funding opportunity is designed to assist local and state organizations, private companies, and nonprofits in Maryland with projects that improve water quality by reducing pollution in designated watersheds.

This grant provides funding to local governments, non-profits, and educational institutions to implement projects that improve flood resilience and tackle the effects of climate change.

This grant provides funding to non-profits, schools, and government agencies to develop environmental education projects that empower students and communities to protect Chesapeake and coastal ecosystems.

This funding opportunity supports community-led gardening projects in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that focus on environmental sustainability through the use of native plants for stormwater management, pollution reduction, and habitat restoration.

The Healthy Environment, Healthy Communities Grant Program is a funding initiative by the Chesapeake Bay Trust that supports projects by various organizations to address environmental and public health issues through education, small-scale greening, and large-scale restoration in specific areas affected by wastewater treatment plants and energy companies.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Chesapeake & Coastal Service (CCS) offers grants to support the sustainable development and use of Maryland waterways. Funded by the Waterway Improvement Fund (WIF), the program supports projects that improve and promote the recreational and commercial capabilities, conditions, and safety of Maryland’s waterways. Eligible applicants, including county, town, or city governments and state or federal agencies, can apply for projects such as constructing or maintaining public boating facilities, dredging channels, and purchasing fire/rescue vessels. Applications are due by September 18, 2024, with funding available starting July 1, 2025.

The Outreach and Restoration Grant Program encourages outreach, community engagement activities, and on-the-ground restoration projects that increase knowledge, change behavior, and accelerate stewardship of natural resources. Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust State: Maryland County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/22/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Outreach and Restoration Grant Program is a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and BGE an Exelon Company, Charles County, the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works, the City of Gaithersburg, the City of Rockville, the City of Salisbury, Harford County, Howard County, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration, Queen Anne’s County, and Tradepoint Atlantic. The Outreach and Restoration Grant Program aims to engage a diverse range of organizations, both with community-related missions and environmental-focused missions, to implement community-led stewardship efforts that will increase public understanding of environmental challenges and solutions; address community environmental health disparities, implement demonstration-scale, community-inspired, on-the-ground restoration projects; and expand the base of public support necessary to advance the restoration and protection of Maryland’s bays, tributaries, and other natural resources. All projects should meet one or both of the following goals: Engage members of a specific audience in community sustainability and environmental health issues through knowledge-building or behavior-change efforts.  Accomplish on-the-ground restoration that will result in improvements to the health of a Maryland natural resource, either through water quality improvement or habitat enhancement. Types of Projects Applicants can request funds from one of the following tracks. Within any track, the Trust encourages projects that address the interconnectedness between the health of the environment and human health. They seek projects that provide water or other natural resource benefits along with co-benefits for human communities such as improved air quality, access to greenspace, reduced flooding, mitigating urban heat island effect, etc.  Funding Information  Applicants can request funds from one of the following tracks:  Track 1: Outreach/Knowledge Building (up to $50,000)  Track 2: Behavior Change (up to $75,000)  Track 3: Restoration (up to $100,000)  Track 4: Outreach and Restoration (up to $125,000) Geographical Areas This grant program funds projects throughout the entire state of Maryland. Funding for this program comes from several different partners, each of whom are looking for projects within their specific locations and areas of focus. Funding partners are seeking projects in Charles County, the City of Baltimore, the City of Gaithersburg, the City of Rockville, the City of Salisbury, Harford County, Howard County, Queen Anne’s County, southeast and southwest Baltimore County.  Eligibility Criteria The Trust and the funding partners welcome requests from the following applicants:  501(c)3 Private Nonprofit Organizations  Faith-based Organizations  Community and Homeowners Associations  Service, Youth, and Civic Groups  Federal, State, Regional, County, and Municipal Public Agencies  Soil/Water Conservation Districts & Resource Conservation and Development Councils  Forestry Boards  Public and Independent Higher Educational Institutions. For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.

This program provides funding to eligible organizations to cover the costs of butchering and processing deer donated to help Maryland residents in need.

Anne Arundel County Government and the Chesapeake Bay Trust announce a partnership to provide funds for forestry projects and land protection in Anne Arundel County. Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust State: Maryland County: Anne Arundel County (MD) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/01/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: The goal of this program is to implement cost-effective reforestation and greening projects and increase the number of acres of protected forested land in the County. By increasing tree cover and expanding green areas, erosion can be reduced; water and soil quality can be improved; airborne pollutants such as particulates, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide can be filtered; and summer temperatures and resulting ozone pollution and energy use can be reduced. By protecting forested land, valuable ecological services such as habitat, water quality, and flood control can be ensured for the future. What this funds? Reforestation/afforestation of Protected Lands. Permanent protection of Forested Lands. Reforestation/afforestation and Protection of Uneased and Unforested Lands. Eligible Project Tracks Track 1: Reforestation/Afforestation of Protected Lands Funding partners seek reforestation and afforestation projects that provide ecological benefits by establishing, enhancing and/or preserving riparian buffers; creating, enhancing and/or preserve larger contiguous tracts of forest; and/or creating, enhancing, and/or preserving wildlife habitat, including habitat for forest interior dwelling species. Track 2: Permanent Protection of Forested Lands Applicants can apply to purchase, execute, record, and monitor permanent conservation easements to protect, maintain, and preserve existing tree canopy in Anne Arundel County. The permanent conservation easements shall be acquired, held, and maintained by the grantee or by a land trust subcontracted by the grantee. The best projects under this track are those seeking to protect ecologically valuable sites or existing habitats, such as riparian buffers, large contiguously forested tracts, and/or important wildlife habitat. Track 3: Reforestation/Afforestation and Protection of Uneased and Unforested Lands Applicants may request support for reforestation/afforestation projects on land that is not currently under conservation easement or otherwise protected. In such a case, the land must be owned by an individual or entity that will agree to place a permanent conservation easement, deed restriction, or long-term protective agreement for tree planting on the property on which the project is installed and that will protect the tree project. As in Track 2 above, funds for easement costs will be considered as eligible budget request items with the exception that the threshold value for requiring appraisals is $8,800, the NRCS WRP threshold for cropland. As described in Track 2 above, applicants may a) request easement costs below the threshold without incurring an obligation to obtain appraisals, b) request easement costs above the threshold and be responsible for obtaining appraisals as a condition of the award at an expense that will only be reimbursed if the project moves forward, or c) request easement costs above the threshold and supply justification in the form of at least one appraisal. Funding Information Up to $238,000 is currently available for this round of the program. Reimbursement cannot be made for already completed projects. Project Period Projects must be completed within 24 months upon receipt of the award. Requests to extend project completion period will be reviewed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Project Location This program funds projects in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Projects located within the City of Annapolis limits are not eligible for this program. Eligibility Criteria  Anne Arundel County and the Trust welcome requests from the following organizations: Land trusts; Nonprofit entities; Community associations; Service and civic groups, Faith-based organizations; Public agencies; and Public and independent higher educational institutions. For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.

The City of Greenbelt is seeking applications for its ARPA Nonprofit Recovery Grant. Donor Name: City of Greenbelt State: Maryland City: Greenbelt Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/30/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The City of Greenbelt has begun accepting applications from eligible nonprofit organizations for a one time “recovery” grant made possible through the allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Qualified nonprofits will be eligible to apply for grants up to $25,000, as allowed by ARPA, to address negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Priority will be given to programs supporting one or more of the following areas: Advances education and science Serves the underprivileged Defends human and civil rights Benefits Veterans Helps combat community deterioration Arts & Culture Youth Development Needs Senior Support/Aging in Place Natural Resources and Conservation Racial Equity & Racial Justice Human Services Marginalized members of the community. Eligible Use of Funds You may request funds to address revenue reductions and/or operating expenses to include: Programming & projects specific to one of the priority areas Events to benefit Greenbelt residents Broadband Infrastructure Rental and utility assistance Purchase of equipment Digital advertising/website/e-commerce creation and maintenance Technology Contracted services Insurance Program expenses Program supplies COVID-19 related expenses for which replacement is critical to the nonprofit’s continuity of operations Payroll assistance. Who is eligible for the grant? Nonprofit organizations who meet the following requirements are eligible to apply for a Nonprofit “Recovery” Grant: Must serve Greenbelt residents (preference will be given to Nonprofits located in the City of Greenbelt). Have a 501(c)(3) status or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit. Have a 501 (c) 19 status. Be registered as a Maryland non-profit organization with the State of Maryland. Is in good standing with the IRS, The Maryland Secretary of State’s charitable division, and the Department of Assessment and Taxation’s Maryland Personal Property tax division. Must have a minimum two-year operating history at the time the application is submitted. Must have a Board of Directors with representation from the community. Was in existence prior to or established during the period of March 1, 2020 to March 30, 2022. Is able to demonstrate continuity of operations to sustain programming/projects/services. Must have a minimum annual operating budget of $25,000, as reflected in the most recent tax return or 990. Has demonstrated an economic need for funding resulting from revenue gaps/shortfalls and/or expenses as a result of COVID-19, or during the period of the coronavirus emergency. For more information, visit City of Greenbelt.

The Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County (“RDA”) is soliciting proposals from community-based 501 (c) (3) organizations for the Community Impact Grant (CIG) Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Funding Round. Donor Name: Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County State: Maryland County: Prince Georges County (MD) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/29/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: Grant Category and Uses  The CIG Program provides grants to community-based organizations located in Prince George’s County to implement small innovative capital projects that revitalize and enhance communities and quality of life. Grants can not be used for operating or program costs, salaries, stipends or personnel expenses. Eligible project activities include: Neighborhood Beautification Streetscape, street furniture, pedestrian enhancements and recreational improvements Signage, banners and way-finding systems Commercial façade improvements Internal and/or external improvements to commercial buildings used by the public Permanent public art installations Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability  Restoration of parks, streams and open space Urban agriculture and replenishment of tree canopy Green roofs, low impact development and storm water management Preservations of historic landmarks, structures and sites Funding Information The RDA has two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) available for county-wide project. Grant performance period is one year from the date of execution of a CIG Grant Agreement.  Eligibility Criteria Any civic/neighborhood association or community-based organization that is an incorporated 501C3, located within Prince George’s County, in good standing with the State of Maryland, can apply for funding. Prince George’s County government and affiliated entities are not eligible to apply. For more information, visit RDA.

The BNR Program provides funds to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants for retrofitting or upgrading to include biological nitrification/denitrification facilities, aiming for an effluent concentration goal of 8 mg/l total nitrogen. The program encourages upgrades alongside Enhanced Nutrient Removal, funded by the Bay Restoration Fund grant. The Biological Nutrient Program (BNR) funds are targeted to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and provides funds to retrofit or upgrade WWTPs with biological nitrification/denitrification facilities to achieve a goal of annual average effluent concentration of 8 mg/l total nitrogen. The BNR upgrade is generally undertaken along with Enhanced Nutrient Removal upgrade using Bay Restoration Fund grant funding