Maryland Safety Grants

This program provides financial assistance to qualified homeowners in Mount Rainier, Maryland, for essential home repairs and improvements to enhance safety and comfort.

This funding opportunity is designed to support community organizations in Cecil County, Maryland, in their efforts to improve health equity and address social needs related to substance use, mental health, childhood trauma, and access to health services.

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.

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.

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 Montgomery County Office of Grants Management is offering its 2025 School-Based Food Assistance Grant Program. This program aims to bolster food security for students and their families by funding initiatives co-located at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) sites. The overarching goal is to address critical gaps in healthy food access for children and families and to foster innovative approaches to integrate food assistance directly within school communities. The program aligns with a strategic priority to support projects that effectively tackle food insecurity and leverage school sites for broader community benefit, demonstrating a theory of change focused on direct, accessible, and community-embedded food support. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are students and families in Montgomery County who rely on school meals or face barriers to food access, such as transportation challenges. The impact goals are to increase nutrition security and provide convenient access to essential food resources. Successful programs are expected to demonstrate past experience in operating school-based food assistance programs with MCPS, propose quickly actionable program models for new schools, and identify potential zip codes, capacity, resource needs, and expansion formats. The program prioritizes projects that address significant needs in healthy food access for children and families and/or offer innovative models for co-locating food assistance at MCPS school sites. The Office of Food and Special Programs (OFSR) is collaborating with MCPS to identify priority school sites based on community need and the anticipated impact of new or expanded programming. This strategic focus ensures that funding is directed where it can have the most profound effect on alleviating food insecurity. The expected outcomes include the establishment or expansion of diverse food assistance models, such as choice pantries offering culturally relevant and healthy foods, pre-packed box/bag distributions with locally sourced produce, medically or preference-tailored prepared meal deliveries, and grocery gift card distributions to address transportation and other barriers. The total grant funding available is $1,250,000, with individual awards ranging from $40,000 to $300,000, and a performance period from approximately August 15, 2024, to June 30, 2025. This financial commitment and flexible programming range are designed to generate measurable results in terms of increased access to nutritious food and improved food security for the target population.

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 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 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 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 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.

The City of Hyattsville Vandalism Prevention Grants Program aims to offer financial relief to small businesses and 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations within Hyattsville that have been negatively affected by vandalism. This program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and has a total of $15,000 available, split between two grants. The Vandalism Prevention Grant is specifically a reimbursement grant. While a direct "foundation mission alignment" and "theory of change" from the City of Hyattsville are not explicitly stated, the program's existence clearly aligns with a municipal mission to support local economic stability and community safety by mitigating the financial burdens of vandalism on its small business and non-profit sectors. The primary target beneficiaries are small businesses and 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations located in Hyattsville. A small business is defined as having fewer than 50 employees, annual revenues between $1,000 and $5 million, being independently owned and operated, and not dominant in its field. Franchise owners are eligible, but private residences, landlords, and multifamily residential properties are excluded. The impact goal is to help these entities cover costs associated with eligible repairs and security measures following vandalism incidents, thereby fostering their recovery and enhancing their resilience against future occurrences. The program prioritizes funding for specific eligible security measures. These include security cameras and recording equipment, shatterproof glass and protective films, lock enhancements, exterior lighting enhancements, alarm and monitoring systems, and anti-graffiti films, paints, or coatings. Funds are provided as a reimbursement for these measures acquired between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024. The focus is clearly on proactive and reactive measures that directly address the physical and financial impacts of vandalism. The expected outcomes include reduced financial strain on affected small businesses and non-profits, improved security infrastructure across the city's commercial and non-profit sectors, and a disincentive for future vandalism through enhanced protective measures. Measurable results would be tracked by the number of grants awarded, the total amount of funds reimbursed, and the types of security measures implemented. While the document does not outline specific metrics like "reduction in vandalism incidents," the direct correlation between funding security enhancements and mitigating vandalism effects implies these as indirect, desired outcomes. The maximum award for the Vandalism Prevention Grant is $2,000 per business or non-profit organization.

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.

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 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.

This grant provides funding to Recovery Residence Providers in Anne Arundel County to install fire suppression systems, ensuring safety and compliance with state certification requirements.

This program provides funding to eligible public transit agencies in designated urban areas to improve security and resilience against terrorism and other threats through various protective measures and enhancements.

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.

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).

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.