The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is now accepting grant applications for its 2026 Commercial & Industrial Grant Program.
Donor Name: Maryland Energy Administration (MEA)
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/30/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The FY26 C&I Program offers grants on a competitive basis to new or existing stationary facilities characterized by any of the following uses: commercial, office, retail, hospitality, institutional, multifamily residences with five or more units, research, laboratory, data centers, private elementary schools, college facilities, factories, material processing facilities, warehouses, or distribution centers. This program does not fund transportation equipment or the installation of solar panels or other measures intended to supplant traditional power and fuel inputs.
Eligible grant recipients include owners of Maryland-based commercial, industrial, data centers, and non-profits. Both new construction and existing facilities may be considered for grants to defray the cost of improvements resulting in energy performance that exceeds current codes or standards.
Areas of Interest
- Existing facilities, general populations
- Commercial, office, retail, hospitality, institutional, multifamily residential properties with five or more units, research, laboratory, data centers, private elementary school and college facilities, factories, material processing facilities, warehouses, or distribution centers. These are facilities already in use and will use the proposed energy improvements to continue the enterprise’s same activities. Stationary facilities only.
- Existing facilities, low income populations
- Eligible facilities are those that are already in use and will use the proposed energy improvements to continue the enterprise’s same activities. “Low income populations” describes the individuals that comprise the majority, i.e., 50% or more, of people served by the subject facility.
- New construction
- “New construction” includes facilities being fabricated for the first time, facilities subject to substantial rehab that includes replacement of major mechanical systems, or existing structures repurposed after one year or more of vacancy.
Funding Information
The anticipated program budget for FY26 is $8,400,000 with individual award values ranging from a minimum of $20,000 to a maximum of $500,000.
- AOI.1 will have an anticipated budget of $3,000,000
- AOI.2 will have an anticipated budget of $4,000,000
- AOI.3 will have an anticipated budget of $1,400,000.
Eligibility Criteria:
Applicants must be registered to do business in Maryland and be in good standing. Entities eligible to apply for grants are businesses entities (registered corporations, LLPs, LLCs, GPs, etc.) or non-profits. The balance of eligible applicants are:
- entities that own the subject facility in which the proposed activities are to be located; or
- entities representing rented or leased facilities must include a letter of concurrence signed by the property owner stating that:
- The property owner permits the grantee to install the proposed upgrades
- The property owner agrees to ensure that these upgrades to the subject property remain in place and operational for the balance of the equipment’s economic life, regardless of lessee turnover.
- Manufacturing or industrial production/distribution/warehousing
- Data center operations
- Office, commercial, service, hospitality, or retail operations
- Private school (Pre-K, K-12) education and administration
- Private college and university education, administration, and recreation facilities
- Multifamily residential buildings containing five or more units
- Other types of non-residential buildings may be eligible, determined by MEA on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, visit MEA.
