2016 Keep Maryland Beautiful grant recipient Pigtown Main Street volunteers at the annual Bloom the Boulevard event
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The State of Maryland in partnership with the Forever Maryland Foundation is now accepting applications for the annual Keep Maryland Beautiful grants program.
Four different grants are being offered to help volunteer and nonprofit groups, communities, and land trusts support environmental education projects, litter removal, citizen stewardship, and solve natural resource issues in urban and rural areas. The deadline to apply for funding is Nov. 12, 2020. Awards will be announced in spring 2021.
The Keep Maryland Beautiful grants will be offered in two categories: Environmental Education, Community Initiatives, and Cleanups for community groups, local governments, and nonprofits; and Land Trust Capacity, Excellence, and Stewardship for local land trusts.
Funding for the Keep Maryland Beautiful grants program is provided by the Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Forever Maryland Foundation, and Maryland Environmental Trust, a unit of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Maryland Department of Transportation has pledged $50,000 a year to the program for five years, starting in fiscal year 2018, totaling $250,000. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has provided more than $808,000 for more than 200 Clean Up and Green Up grant awards since fiscal year 2017, and has allocated an additional $250,000 for this year’s awards.
Grants and funding amount available are:
Fiscal Year 2020 awards included 80 grants totaling more than $307,500 for beautification projects, community cleanup activities, and environmental education programs in 20 counties and Baltimore City.