Maryland Education Grants

This grant provides financial support to agricultural businesses in Cecil County, Maryland, to help them expand, diversify, and improve their operations while promoting sustainability and community collaboration.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Washington County, Maryland, for projects that enhance community services in areas such as health, emergency services, education, and recreation.

This grant provides financial support to arts and humanities organizations, individual artists, and scholars in Montgomery County, MD, to engage the Wheaton community through diverse cultural projects and activities.

This program provides funding to various organizations and community groups in Maryland to plant and maintain trees, improving urban environments and combating climate change.

The Recovery Friendly Workplace Pilot Program, launched by the Maryland Department of Labor, aims to create a supportive environment for employees recovering from substance use disorders. The program encourages employers to adopt workplace policies that assist in employee recovery, provides stigma-reducing education, and facilitates research on recovery-friendly practices. It seeks to promote workplace well-being and recovery for employees and their families while fostering community awareness.

Grant Opportunity: Community Foundation of Frederick County Rolling Grants Funding Organization: The Community Foundation of Frederick County Contact Information: For questions, email [email protected] or call 301.695.7660. Award Details: The Rolling Grant program provides grants for any purpose, including a wide range of field of interest and special purpose funds, and support for individuals served by nonprofits or government agencies. The minimum grant request is $500, and the maximum request varies by fund. Grants must provide direct benefits to Frederick County, Maryland residents unless otherwise noted in the fund description. Eligibility: Eligible organizations include already existing nonprofit 501c3 organizations in good standing with the IRS, government/quasi-governmental agencies applying for extraordinary projects not funded by tax revenue, religious organizations requesting funding for non-sectarian activities, and civic groups that are not 501c3 organizations requesting funding for a community cause. All applicants must meet Maryland's nonprofit requirements. Application Process: Organizations can submit grant applications through Foundant, the online grants management system used by The Community Foundation. Multiple applications are permitted, with one application per fund to which the organization is applying. Additional Information: Applications can be modified until the application deadline. Grant funds are generally disbursed in full during the first month of the grant period, except for civic organizations that receive reimbursement based on proof of expense and addressing the approved community cause. Variance requests to modify budget or program services can be made before the end of the grant period but require approval from the Community Foundation's Board of Trustees. Multi-year funding is not provided at this time. For more information and to access the application portal, visit this link: [https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?ReturnUrl=%2fProcess%2fShortLinkApply%3fprocessGuid%3ddf0970bb-29dc-4f89-a69a-b5e2e780c6dd%26UrlKey%3dfrederickcounty&processGuid=df0970bb-29dc-4f89-a69a-b5e2e780c6dd&UrlKey=frederickcounty]

READY Community Foundations, part of ARC's READY Appalachia initiative, offers no-cost training to community foundations in Appalachia. Participants will build skills in financial management, fundraising, grantmaking, and strategic planning. Eligible foundations can apply for up to $25,000 in funding to implement capacity-building projects post-training. Applications are due by July 5, 2024.

Seeking to foster deeper connections with nature among a range of constituencies, the Foundation invests in environmental programs that focus on education and/or stewardship. In the environmental education area, the Foundation’s emphasis is on high quality programs that promote hands-on experiential activities in formal and informal K-12 educational settings to increase time spent outside in nature for youth. In the environmental stewardship area, the Foundation seeks to support the maintenance and expansion of green spaces, including parks and farms, in under-resourced neighborhoods. The Foundation’s environmental grantmaking is limited to the Baltimore metropolitan region. The Foundation typically provides funding for general operations and/or programming, but not capital needs.

The Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) provides grants to rural-serving nonprofit organizations, as well as rural community colleges, that promote statewide and regional planning, economic and community development, and agricultural and forestry education. The core mission of this program is to increase the overall capacity of these organizations and community colleges to address a wide array of rural development challenges. A key aspect of the fund's strategy is to help these entities establish new public/private partnerships, which are crucial for leveraging non-state sources of funding and ensuring long-term sustainability. The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) serves as the administrative agency for this grant, managing applications and disbursing funds. The target beneficiaries of MAERDAF are rural-serving nonprofit organizations and rural community colleges. These entities work with communities across Maryland's state-determined rural counties, including Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester. The overarching impact goal is to strengthen rural Maryland through enhanced education, economic opportunities, and community development. By supporting organizations that directly serve these areas, MAERDAF aims to foster a more resilient and prosperous rural landscape. For Fiscal Year 2025, the RMC has outlined several key priority areas for applications. These include Agriculture & Forestry (Agricultural Education, Regional Food System Development, Forest Industry Development), Energy (Combined Heat Power, Energy Efficiency, Biomass), Rural Broadband (Rural Broadband Expansion Efforts, Digital Inclusion Programs), Youth Engagement & Leadership Development (Career Technology Centers, Youth Enrichment Programs), Economic Development (Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development, Education & Workforce Development, Regional Marketing Efforts & Tourism Projects), and Community Development (Rural Transportation, Housing repairs, Housing counseling, Poverty Alleviation Efforts). These focus areas reflect the most pressing needs and strategic opportunities for rural growth and improvement in Maryland. The expected outcomes and measurable results from MAERDAF grants are multifaceted, aiming for tangible improvements in rural areas. Projects are expected to contribute to the growth of agricultural and forestry sectors, increase energy efficiency, expand rural broadband access, and enhance youth engagement and leadership. In economic development, anticipated outcomes include the creation of entrepreneurship ecosystems, improved workforce development, and increased regional tourism. Community development efforts are designed to result in better rural transportation, improved housing conditions, and a reduction in poverty. While specific metrics are not detailed in the provided information, the focus on these clear outcome areas indicates an expectation of measurable progress in each. MAERDAF's strategic priorities are deeply aligned with a theory of change that posits that by empowering and funding rural-serving organizations and community colleges, a ripple effect of positive development will occur. The funding, budgeted at $878,964 for Fiscal Year 2025 with a maximum grant amount of $45,000, is intended to build the capacity of these local entities. The encouragement of new public/private partnerships further demonstrates a belief that diversified funding and collaborative efforts are essential for long-term impact. The emphasis on a broad range of development areas reflects a holistic approach to rural well-being, recognizing the interconnectedness of agriculture, education, economy, and community health.

This program provides financial support to farms and agricultural businesses in Garrett County, Maryland, to enhance their marketing efforts and boost local agricultural economic activity.

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) is offering its 11th round of farmer mini grants in Spring 2024, providing a total of $60,000 in funding. This program was established in 2016 in response to feedback from the farming community, aligning directly with SMADC's mission to support farms and the future of agriculture in Southern Maryland. The core objective is to expand and promote a viable, market-driven, sustainable, and profitable agricultural farming community in the region. The primary beneficiaries of this program are actively farming individuals in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland. Both urban and rural farms are encouraged to apply, including youth aged 16 and older who have a background in agriculture. The impact goals are centered around enhancing farm sales strategies, facilitating business maintenance and expansion, and improving overall farm operations through tangible investments. The grant program prioritizes projects that are simple in scope and can be completed within one year. Specific areas of focus include services or equipment to transition sales strategies (e.g., online sales, home delivery, on-farm sales), purchase of foundation livestock or plant stock, marketing and promotion, new fencing, hoop houses, materials for value-added production, on-farm upgrades for food safety, irrigation installation or upgrades (especially in relation to GAP certification or FSMA standards), washing/packing stations, and freezer/refrigeration units. The expected outcomes are diverse, aiming to directly improve farm infrastructure, market access, and operational efficiency. Measurable results would include increased sales due to new strategies or equipment, enhanced food safety compliance, improved crop yields or livestock health, and expanded market reach for participating farms. The grants are awarded up to $3,000 per applicant, requiring a one-to-one dollar match from the farmer, ensuring a shared investment and commitment to project success. SMADC's strategic priority is to foster a robust and sustainable agricultural sector in Southern Maryland. Their theory of change suggests that by providing direct financial assistance for practical, farm-level improvements, they can empower individual farmers to adapt to market demands, enhance their competitiveness, and ultimately contribute to the long-term economic viability and environmental sustainability of agriculture in the region. The matching fund requirement further reinforces this by promoting farmer self-sufficiency and accountability.

This program provides funding to Maryland-based organizations and businesses to develop educational and training initiatives that prepare the workforce for careers in the offshore wind industry.

The Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Family Foundation offers grants between $1,000 to $10,000 to 501(c)(3) organizations in the Baltimore area, focusing on mental health, cancer prevention and treatment, arts exposure for youth, and educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, excluding start-ups, capital projects, individuals, multi-year projects, higher education institutions, and organizations outside Baltimore.

This grant provides Maryland-based teaching artists and organizations the opportunity to join a curated roster, enabling them to apply for funding to support arts education programs in schools and communities.

This grant provides funding to organizations in Baltimore City and Baltimore County that empower women and their families through initiatives promoting gender equity and economic stability.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Washington, D.C. area to promote economic independence through education and development initiatives.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Frederick County to address critical community needs such as housing insecurity, public health, quality of life initiatives, and cultural enrichment through the arts.

The 2025 Sharing Prince George Grants, announced by The Greater Washington Community Foundation, aim to support high-impact nonprofits serving Prince George’s County’s most vulnerable residents. This initiative aligns with the Community Foundation’s broader 10-year strategic plan, which is centered on addressing urgent community needs, advancing economic justice, and ultimately closing the racial/ethnic wealth gap. The fund prides itself on supporting organizations that have effectively responded to community needs, working in partnership toward a shared vision for a more equitable, just, and thriving Prince George’s County, directly reflecting the foundation's mission. The target beneficiaries are the low-income and most vulnerable residents of Prince George’s County. The grant program seeks to achieve significant impact by enabling people to chart pathways out of poverty and empowering them with the financial and social capital needed to build wealth. The ultimate goal is to enhance the health and stability of the entire community by mitigating the effects of the racial/ethnic wealth gap, fostering economic justice, and ensuring basic needs are met. The grant-making priorities for this year are threefold. First, economic mobility resources are prioritized, including access to higher education, training, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Second, the program focuses on individual and community wealth-building opportunities to help residents weather crises and pursue their dreams. Third, basic needs for low-income neighbors are addressed, encompassing access to health and mental health resources, food security, affordable housing, childcare, education, and interventions that facilitate a transition from crisis to recovery. For the FY25 cycle, Sharing Prince George’s will award up to ten one-time grants, each up to $50,000. These grants provide flexible general operating support, allowing nonprofits to allocate resources where they are most needed to advance their missions within Prince George’s County. Regional organizations receiving grants will have their funds specifically earmarked for efforts within the county, ensuring the direct impact on the intended beneficiaries and contributing to the foundation's strategic objective of fostering a more equitable and stable community.

The Charles County Forestry Grant Program, offered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust in partnership with Charles County, aims to implement cost-effective reforestation and afforestation projects. The program seeks to increase tree canopy, create forest habitat, improve water quality, and provide ecosystem services such as potable water and air quality. Eligible projects should be in Charles County, Maryland, and must place reforested areas under an easement for protection in perpetuity. Applicants can request up to $20,000, with typical requests being less than $4,500 per acre. Matching funds are encouraged but not required.