Keep Maryland Beautiful Grant Applications Now Being Accepted

More than $200,000 Available for Initiatives Throughout Maryland

Whitelock Community Farm in Baltimore City received a Spring 2017 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grant.

The Maryland Environmental Trust is now accepting applications for funding through Keep Maryland Beautiful, comprising five grants designed 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.

Applications will be accepted through Nov. 15 for one of five grants in two categories: Environmental Education, Community Initiatives and Cleanup Grants for community groups and Land Trust Capacity, Excellence and Stewardship Grants for local land trusts in the state. Each organization may apply for one of the five grants per funding cycle.

Keep Maryland Beautiful is a program of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and a recognized state affiliate of the national Keep America Beautiful program. The Maryland Department of Transportation has been a contributor to the program for 25 years. Maryland Environmental Trust, part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, administers the program’s grants in partnership with these departments.

“The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development is proud to partner with the Maryland Environmental Trust to offer community groups and nonprofits Keep Maryland Beautiful grants to support environmental education projects, litter removal and citizen stewardship,” said Housing Secretary Kenneth C. Holt. “Providing funding for Clean Up & Green Up Maryland grants allows us to support our local stakeholders in the ongoing revitalization of their communities.”

In the most recent funding cycle, about 50 grants totaling more than $160,000 were awarded to municipalities, nonprofits and schools for beautification projects, community cleanup activities and environmental education programs in 19 counties and Baltimore City.

“Keep Maryland Beautiful is a success story for our communities and our environment,” said Maryland Environmental Trust Executive Director William Leahy. “Thanks to our partner agencies we will continue to find new ways to support efforts and programs that will inspire and engage Marylanders in the important work of stewardship of the places we care deeply about.”

The program’s timeline has changed to distribute grant money to recipients earlier in the year to help fund more projects in spring. Additionally the application process is streamlined and can be completed online at the Keep Maryland Beautiful website.

Grants and funding amount available are:

• Aileen Hughes Grant of up to $2,000 is awarded to an individual representing a Maryland land trust for outstanding leadership, partnership and innovation in a conservation project or organization development.
• Bill James Environmental Grant of up to $1,000 is awarded to school groups, science and ecology clubs and other nonprofit youth groups for proposed environmental education projects.
• Clean Up & Green Up Maryland Grant of up to $5,000 is awarded to community groups and nonprofit organizations statewide to promote neighborhood cleanliness and beautification by increasing litter removal, greening activities, community education and citizen stewardship.
• Janice Hollman Grant of up to $10,000 is awarded to land trusts throughout the state to increase capacity, support programming and innovation and foster stronger, better connected land trusts that will protect all natural resources and enhance the lives of Maryland citizens and generations to come.
• Margaret Rosch Jones Grant of up to $2,000 is awarded to nonprofit groups or communities for an ongoing project or activity that has demonstrated success in solving an environmental issue. This award recognizes those organizations that have been actively educating people in their community about litter prevention, community beautification or reducing/eliminating the causes of a local environmental problem.