Baltimore County opens Community Improvement Grants with $1.8 million, Nov. 10 and May 1 deadlines

Amy Menzer, senior project manager with the Baltimore County Department of Planning, outlined the department’s Community Improvement Grants program and application process during a public webinar, saying the county has allocated $1,800,000 for capital requests and that there are two application deadlines: Nov. 10 and May 1, 2026.

The program is intended to support projects that advance the county’s Master Plan 2030 and targeted revitalization efforts inside the county’s urban–rural demarcation line, Menzer said. Grants are for capital projects that are not movable and should be designed to last at least 15 years; the department is looking for projects that can be implemented within two years of the grant agreement.

Tom Sahetski, Planner II with the Department of Planning, described application mechanics, eligibility and review steps. The grant rounds are split into two tiers: requests of $3,000–$15,000 (tier 1) and $15,001–$200,000 (tier 2). Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3), (c)(4) or (c)(6) organizations and be in good standing with the State of Maryland; smaller or newer organizations may submit scaled financial documentation appropriate to their size, Sahetski said. Projects located on county-owned or county-managed parks and public or private schools are expressly not eligible for this funding source, he added.

Applicants must provide a completed county application for financial assistance, a project budget, recent financial statements, a board list, property-owner…