Maryland Supports 120+ Local Projects for Water Quality, Resiliency

Department Awards $26.2 Million through Grants Gateway

Stream restoration

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the awarding of $26.2 million to improve water quality, increase flood resiliency, and help grow the next generation of Maryland’s environmental stewards.

“We are pleased to support projects that protect our communities and restore the Chesapeake Bay, two of our highest priorities,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio said. “Local efforts play an important role in attaining our environmental goals. In addition, these projects will benefit local communities and their economies as they build resilience and prevent polluted runoff from reaching our waterways.”

To streamline the grant application and management process, the department has created the Grants Gateway to provide a single entry point for grantees, and assures access to funding for innovative, local projects. In addition to ease of use for applicants, the gateway provides the department an integrated grant-management system to monitor sources, manage data and ensure grants are consistent with the department’s strategic priorities.

Grants are made possible with funding through a variety of federal and state sources, including the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the Coastal Resiliency Program, the Waterway Improvement Fund, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program. 

Through the improved connections across similar grant programs, the department seeks to support more comprehensive and integrated projects that achieve at least one of the following outcomes: fostering healthy ecosystems, building resiliency, or providing outdoor learning experiences. By adding increased efficiency to the process, the department hopes to encourage more entities to develop comprehensive and integrated projects across Maryland.

All FY21 Grants Gateway Awards are listed on the department’s website.