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Department of Housing and Community Development

State of Maryland Awards Nearly $7.9 Million to Assist Small Businesses and Empower Community Revitalization in Central Maryland

Three programs will provide funds to businesses, local governments, and economic development organizations

NEW CARROLLTON, MD (July 15, 2024) – Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day announced the department has awarded nearly $7.9 million from three state programs to assist small businesses and support local revitalization projects and activities in Central Maryland. Grants from the Business Boost Microgrant Program, the Main Street Improvement Grant, and Project Restore 2.0 will provide funds to 56 businesses, local governments, and place-based economic development organizations to spur community revitalization by attracting, retaining, and expanding small businesses, as well as through the promotion of local, cultural attractions and events.

“To ensure the continued quality of our communities and to improve the quality of life for all their residents, we must revitalize their hearts – downtowns, Main Streets, and other important community hubs and places,” said Secretary Day. “This important funding will strengthen these hearts by supporting the growth of small businesses that provide local services and job opportunities and the events and attractions that make Central Maryland’s unique, varied communities such great and lovable places.”

The Business Boost Microgrant Program assists businesses seeking to expand or establish a location with preference given to home-based businesses establishing their first commercial location outside of the home. Applicants were also required to meet one or more of the priority impact attributes that contribute to Maryland’s economic growth, such as supporting minority and women-owned businesses, driving innovation or technology advancements, growing new industries, or leveraging existing regional strengths. Business Boost awarded $941,992 to assist 21 businesses, including:

  • Automating the manufacturing capabilities of Fyodor Biotechnologies (Baltimore City) to increase the production of its Urine Malaria Test, the world’s first non-blood, home test for malaria that provides results in minutes.
  • Funding for the Healthy Little Cooks (Howard) social enterprise, a for-profit organization that partners with Maryland school systems to teach parents and kids experiencing housing and financial challenges how to access fresh foods and cook healthy meals.

The Main Street Improvement Grant Program provides operating assistance to the local governments or economic development organizations in Maryland’s designated and affiliated Main Street Maryland communities and Baltimore City’s designated Main Street neighborhoods. Grants help awardees achieve their community revitalization and economic development goals, including creating and retaining small businesses and increasing tourism for local events and attractions. The program awarded $341,000 in grants to 19 awardees, including:

  • Funding to support lighting, decorations, and winter attractions for Main Street Westminster (Carroll).
  • Cleaning and greening projects, as well as marketing and events promotion for Belair-Edison Neighborhoods (Baltimore City).

Project Restore 2.0 seeks to activate vacant buildings, support small businesses, and increase local economic activity by providing financial support to improve the vitality of Maryland’s commercial corridors. Unlike prior rounds of the program which directly funded businesses, $6,611,064 was awarded as block grants to 26 place-based economic development organizations, nonprofit or local government entities that work to improve a specific jurisdiction within the state. Awardees including Anne Arundel County, the Baltimore County Arts Guild, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance (Harford), and Howard County will sub-grant the funds to for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, cooperatively-owned businesses, and social enterprises to start up or expand into vacant buildings in their jurisdictions.

Here’s what local leaders and awardees are saying about the announcement: 

  • “These grants are a crucial investment in our communities,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. “They will not only support our small businesses but help spur economic growth and revitalize our communities.”
  • “I am excited that through this $300,000 grant from the Project Restore 2.0 program, Howard County will create a dynamic and flexible community hub at the site of the iconic Caplan’s Department Store building on Main Street in Historic Ellicott City, which was nearly destroyed in the most recent flash flood of 2018” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Together, we will preserve the rich history of our town while embracing a vibrant future where all are safe and sound.”
  • “Our staff have been seeking ways of focusing their efforts on improvement and innovation, and this automation will give all of us the extra set of hands that industry 4.0 technology affords,” said Matt Barinholtz, CEO of FutureMakers. “Now we can pilot material handling tasks – loading and unloading laser cutting machines – with a manufacturing robot that is easy to teach, can be moved to support different production cells, and is super safe to work alongside. This extra set of hands gives team members a reliable partner in the work, and accelerates our mission to make playful hands-on learning more affordable and accessible for schools and organizations.”
  • “We are incredibly honored and grateful to receive the Business Boost Microgrant, which will play a crucial role in helping us establish our first commercial location,” said Elle Odoi and Yvette Pappoe, Co-Founders of Décorelle. “As a minority and women-owned business, we are excited to diversify the interior design industry, create jobs, and bring new energy to downtown Baltimore. This opportunity allows us to expand our reach and impact, bringing us one step closer to our goal of democratizing luxury design.”
  • “Patterson Park Academy of Music is honored to be a recipient of the Business Boost grant, which will provide tremendous support as we continue to grow our team and launch new programs,” said Joshua Espinoza and Erik Franklin, Directors of Patterson Park Academy of Music. “The funds from this grant will enhance our offerings to our students and families and allow us to continue providing the very highest quality music programs to our community.”
  • “This grant will facilitate software development of an information management system that will allow veterinary hospitals in Maryland and across the nation to improve the delivery of services for pets, companion animals and their owners,” said Nicholas Kurgansky, CEO of Next In Line. “We are deeply grateful to Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for assisting emerging businesses in Baltimore and throughout Maryland.”
  • “Receiving the Business Boost grant award from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development is a transformative opportunity for the Oaks Bed and Breakfast in Annapolis,” said Sharon Jackson Wilder, co-founder of the Oaks Hospitality Group. “This funding will significantly expand our ability to hire additional staff, build-out exceptional accommodations, create new service offerings, and promote rich, cultural guest experiences drawing more visitors to downtown Annapolis.” 
  • “Wight Tea Company is honored to be a recipient of the Business Boost grant,” said Brittany Wight, Founder & Co-Owner of Wight Tea Company. “Receiving this grant is more than funding; it is fuel that will propel our small business forward, turning our dreams into milestones and possibilities into realities. With these funds we will be able to grow our staff and product line, we’ll be able to get the word out about our business with marketing.”
  • “I cannot fully express how grateful I am that my business has received such an incredible opportunity through the Business Boost grant,” said Erika Rue, Owner of Baltimore Music Company. “This grant will allow us to expand our manufacturing department and start producing our own instruments. Baltimore Music Company is so excited for this next chapter; Maryland DHCD, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
  • “As a minority women-owned business, we are excited to be selected as a grant recipient, to further our business goals, drive innovation, and continue to create a more equitable community through opportunities, education initiatives, events, and partnerships,” said LaRecia Hines, Founder and CEO of Pure Hair. “We are happy to be apart and do our due diligence at creating and expanding business growth in Baltimore, which will contribute to the overall growth of Maryland and more.”
  • “Thread Coffee Roasters is ecstatic at the news of being an MDH New Business Boost grant recipient,” said Nani Ferreira-Mathews, co-owner of Thread Coffee Roasters. “This opportunity and funding will allow us to expand our products and services into a more robust and competitive environment while remaining focused on hiring and uplifting women and marginalized communities of Baltimore City and Maryland.” 
  • “The entire Graham Projects team of artists and placemakers thank Governor Moore and the Maryland State Department of Housing and Community Development for this transformative Business Boost grant! This grant will help us build out our future commercial headquarters in Baltimore City’s Station North Arts and Entertainment District by acquiring long needed fabrication tools and studio equipment for the design and manufacturing of public art and creative outdoor furnishings,” said Graham Coreil-Allen of Graham Projects. “By expanding our commercial operations into a fully outfitted and larger headquarters, the Business Boost grant will help Graham Projects continue to grow and hire more Baltimore City residents to support our social enterprise of improving public spaces in collaboration with communities.”
  • “The DHCD and the Main Street State Coordinating Program have been pivotal in supporting our organization’s transformation and growth through recurring allocations from the Main Street Improvement Fund,” said Julie Della-Maria, Executive Director and Chief DEI Officer at Downtown Sykesville Connection. “The Restore 2.0 award will propel our program into its next phase, enhancing our journey toward excellence and sustainability as a nonprofit.”
  • “We are thrilled to be recipients of Project Restore 2.0 grant through Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development,” said Taylor Schwartz, Federal Hill Main Street’s Executive Director. “This significant milestone will greatly enhance our organization’s ability to support new businesses coming into our district, facilitating their entry into the market by helping with rent and renovations. This grant will help to empower the many ways we are critically examining and addressing the many vacancies in our area, and more importantly, empowers us to live out our ethos in meaningful and measurable ways.”

For more information about the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development business assistance and Main Street improvement programs, visit http://dhcd.maryland.gov.

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