Maryland Safety Grants

The SFY 2025 Police Recruitment and Retention (PRAR) Grant Program, funded by the State of Maryland's Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, is designed to support state and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to recruit and retain qualified sworn police officers. The program recognizes the essential role of law enforcement officers as first responders and aims to ensure agencies have adequate staffing to fulfill their mission, contributing to a safer Maryland. The grant offers various incentives for recruitment and retention, including bonuses for bilingual proficiency, veterans, recent college graduates, and more. The program also covers advertising support, external recruitment services, health club memberships, uniform allowances, and tuition reimbursement among other benefits. Applications must be submitted online through the Grants Management System by May 10th, 2024, with funding available from July 1st, 2024, to June 30th, 2025. The total funding anticipated under this program is $1,300,000, expecting to make up to 50 awards ranging between $10,000 and $300,000.

The SFY 2025 Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (VIPP) Grant, managed by the State of Maryland's Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, is dedicated to preventing and reducing gun violence through the support of competitive grants funding evidence-based or evidence-informed health programs. This initiative aligns with the Office’s objectives to develop coordinated criminal justice strategies and enhance data availability to support data-driven decisions. Grantees are required to report on collaborative efforts and data collected throughout the award period, with this information publicly shared on the Office’s website. The VIPP aims to implement effective violence reduction strategies by investing in programs that demonstrate measurable positive outcomes in preventing gun violence, utilizing public health principles and scientific research. The grant prioritizes funding for programs that have been operational for 1 or 2 years, with new applicants considered based on available funding. The anticipated funding pool is $2,768,000, intending to award up to 15 grants ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 each.

The SFY 2025 Local Warrant Apprehension & Absconding Grant Program (WAAG), funded by the State of Maryland's Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to support local law enforcement agencies in reducing the number of open warrants, particularly those for violent crimes, and in apprehending individuals who have absconded from court-ordered drug and/or alcohol treatment facilities. The program is designed to improve the quality of life and create safer communities by reducing violent crime through the effective apprehension of wanted individuals. This initiative supports coordinated criminal justice strategies and enhances data availability for informed decision-making. The program anticipates a minimum of $2,000,000 in grant funding and plans to make up to 35 awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000. Applications that do not meet the minimum or exceed the maximum award allocation may be removed during the initial technical review. The funding is contingent upon final approval of the budget by Maryland’s General Assembly.

The SFY 2025 Sex Offender Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland (SOCM) Grant Program, under the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to ensure compliance with Maryland law by individuals required to register or re-register with the Maryland Sex Offender Registry. This initiative supports 24 designated law enforcement agencies in Maryland tasked with registration and compliance enforcement of sexual offenders. With an anticipated fund of $728,916, the program allocates grants to these agencies based on the number of registered offenders in their jurisdiction as of December 31, 2023. The funding is meant to assist with compliance verification and enforcement efforts, enhancing public safety and law enforcement capabilities. The program's performance period is from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, with all applications required to be submitted online via the Grants Management System (GMS) by May 24, 2024.

The SFY 2025 Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant, issued by the State of Maryland's Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to enhance the security and support for non-profit organizations, including faith-based entities that are at risk of being targeted for hate crimes. This grant is designed to provide financial assistance to eligible organizations for implementing measures that improve their security infrastructure and safeguard their facilities and members against hate crimes. The grant is open for applications from non-profit organizations holding 501(c)(3) or (4) status within Maryland, and the funding will prioritize projects that demonstrate a critical need for security enhancements based on the local incidence and severity of hate crimes. The application process is entirely online, and hard copy submissions are not accepted. The grant period runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, with a total funding pool of $5,000,000. Individual applications may request up to $150,000, but funds are not to be used for capital improvements or large IT projects. All funding is contingent upon the approval of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy’s budget by Maryland's General Assembly. Grant renewed every year.

The SFY 2025 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Grant, funded by the State of Maryland through the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to support the investigation and prosecution of internet crimes against children. The grant also assists in the operations of the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. These efforts are part of the Office's broader objective to reduce victimization of Maryland's children by protecting them from abuse or neglect, addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and mitigating the impact of childhood trauma. Additionally, the grant promotes coordinated criminal justice strategies at the State and local levels, enhancing collaboration among local law enforcement agencies and Child Advocacy Centers with the Maryland ICAC Task Force.

The Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN) Grant Program, as part of the SFY 2025 initiative by the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, focuses on developing comprehensive information-sharing infrastructures to enable cross-jurisdictional intelligence sharing. The goal is to dismantle criminal networks involved in various illegal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, gun violence, and gang activities. This initiative supports the enhancement of public safety by facilitating the formation of partnerships across criminal justice agencies for improved data sharing, investigations, and prosecutions.

The SFY 2025 Gun Violence Reduction Grant Program (GVRG), funded by the State of Maryland and administered by the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to support law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in developing and implementing strategies to reduce firearm-related violence. The program seeks to address the statewide issues of gun violence, illegal firearm distribution, manufacturing, and seizures, with a goal to make communities safer. The GVRG encourages the development of coordinated criminal justice strategies and data-driven approaches to criminal justice in Maryland. Eligible applicants include local and state law enforcement agencies as well as local state's attorney's offices, with priority given to those not currently receiving Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN) funds.

The SFY 2025 Domestic Violence Unit Pilot Program (DVUP), funded by the State of Maryland through the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, aims to significantly reduce or minimize the time between the issuance of interim and temporary protective orders and their entry into the Maryland Electronic Telecommunications Enforcement Resource System/National Crime Information Center (METERS/NCIC). This initiative supports the office's objective of enhancing the availability and speed of information to support data-driven approaches to criminal justice issues in Maryland. The program has been institutionalized by the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy and continues to offer grants to local law enforcement agencies to enhance service efforts and ensure compliance with Family Law Article sections. The program anticipates making no more than 10 awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for the fiscal year 2025.

Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response (MOOR) is initiating a Competitive Grant Program aimed at distributing approximately $6 million to the highest-scoring proposals from state and local governments, as well as private and non-profit community-based partners. These proposals should align with MOOR’s strategic priorities and address critical needs in substance use disorder and overdose response across the state. Eligible projects must focus on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and public safety, with an emphasis on innovative or evidence-based approaches that fill service gaps.

The BJAG Program aims to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on the state's specific needs. Grant funds are used to improve the criminal justice system, enhance law enforcement initiatives, crime prevention, and education, as well as to support corrections, drug treatment, planning, evaluation, technology improvements, and crime victim and witness initiatives. The program is focused on reducing gaps in services, decreasing violent crime, assisting crime victims, and improving enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention, and rehabilitation efforts across Maryland.

This grant is aimed at improving the handling of child abuse and neglect cases, including child sexual abuse and exploitation. It focuses on the development of innovative programming to enhance the front-end intake and investigative stages of child welfare, aligning with the Maryland Governor’s Office's objective to reduce victimization among children. All funding is contingent upon the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services receiving the specified grant funds from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

This grant is designed to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services within the State of Maryland. It aims to support state and local law enforcement agencies and medical examiner's offices by providing funds to alleviate bottlenecks and improve the overall efficiency of forensic science services, including laboratory analysis and crime scene examination. The grant supports Maryland's law enforcement goals of disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations involved in guns, gangs, drugs, and human trafficking.

The Sexual Assault Services Program provides intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (i.e., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. SASP, created by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, 42 U.S.C. §14043g, is the first federal funding stream solely dedicated to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. SASP provides intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (i.e., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. Rape crisis centers play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems. In order to provide comprehensive services to victims of sexual assault, SASP assists states in supporting rape crisis centers in the provision of direct intervention and related assistance.

The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside, part of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, offers reimbursable federal aid for transportation-related community projects that enhance the intermodal transportation system. Maryland’s TA Program aims to improve mobility and accessibility, and enrich the cultural, aesthetic, historic, and environmental facets of the state’s transportation network. It supports the creation of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, the restoration of historic transportation buildings, the conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails, and the mitigation of highway runoff, with a focus on projects that enhance community connectivity and the overall transportation landscape.

This grant aims to supplement police protection resources in local communities through a formula-driven funding program. It supports operational costs of local police agencies, sharing costs between the State and its municipalities based on population factors and previous year's operational costs​​.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) introduces the Statewide Transit Innovation Grant, a competitive program targeting the enhancement of transit reliability, accessibility to activity centers, and the diversification of transit mobility options across Maryland. This initiative is dedicated to funding public transportation projects that are cost-effective and aim to diminish delays, improving connectivity between regional and economic centers. Projects may encompass various transit modes including bus, rail, among others, and are open to Maryland local governments, locally operated transit providers, or organizations currently receiving MDOT MTA grant funds.

The program, with a funding availability of $3.5 million, is designed to enhance the testing of sexual assault kits to aid in the prosecution and investigation of sexual assault cases. It supports both the Maryland State Police and local law enforcement agencies, focusing on kits collected since May 1, 2018, to help improve victim services and address the backlog of untested kits​​.