The Office of Grants Management (OGM) is soliciting grant applications for the County’s FY 2026 Cost Sharing Capital Grants (CSCG) Grant Program from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations seeking to implement capital projects that help provide access to resources, direct services, historical preservation, cultural enrichment, and/or other benefits to Montgomery County residents.
Donor Name: Montgomery County
State: Maryland
County: Montgomery County (MD)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/28/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The FY26 CSCG competition will be divided up into two stages. Up to $2.5 million remains for FY25 projects with funds broken down into the following categories:
- Arts Facility Capital Grants ($636,280 available to match appropriated Maryland State Bond Bills or other forms of Maryland State capital funding) are defined as having their primary mission or objective as the exhibition, presentation, production or performance of, and/or education in, an arts and/or humanities discipline, and/or provides support services to artists and/or scholars and/or arts and/or humanities organizations.
- Non-Arts Facility Capital Grants ($1,867,593 available to match appropriated Maryland State Bond Bills or other forms of Maryland State capital funding) for any nonprofit capital project that falls outside of the Arts Facility definition above.
Funding Information
- Award sizes will vary with a minimum award of $50,000 and a maximum award of $1,000,000.
- $350,000 is the maximum amount to be awarded in a single fiscal year.
Grant Period
The County may choose to provide a multi-year award, up to a maximum of three (3) years, with future fiscal year funding contingent on satisfactory project progress and Council appropriations.
Eligible and Ineligible Expenses
- The range of expenses related to capital projects allowed under this grant is intentionally very flexible. Capital expenses are defined as expenses that are $5,000 or more in one-time costs for the purchase or improvement of a single fixed asset. Examples of past capital projects that have previously been funded by CSCGs include, but are not limited to:
- Purchase of land or buildings;
- Construction of new buildings;
- Improvements to land (i.e. addition of turf and bleachers to a sports field);
- Expansions or add-ons to existing facilities;
- Renovation and upgrades to existing facilities;
- Renewal of assets to preserve historical buildings and sites; or
- Purchase of major equipment ($5,000+) (i.e. walk in fridges and freezers);
- This Grant Program will not fund the following expenses:
- Any operating costs including but not limited to rent, leases, salaries, utilities, staff benefits, contractor costs unrelated to capital projects (i.e. contract trainers or accountants), supplies, minor equipment ($5,000 or less), maintenance, and other program related supplies;
- Indirect costs;
- Loans or mortgage payments on existing capital projects or properties;
- Lobbying;
- To cover any expenses made prior to the Grant Award;
- To supplant (replace) funds from other grant sources; or
- Any other cost deemed by the County unrelated to the capital project.
Project and Organization Eligibility
- Applicants and their proposed projects must meet all of the following Programmatic Eligibility requirements to be considered for funding.
- Organizations must have an appropriated Maryland State Bond Bill (or other forms of Maryland State capital funding) to apply for this Grant Program;
- Organizations currently pursuing, but who have not yet secured, a Maryland State Bond Bill (or other forms of Maryland State capital funding) for this capital project are not eligible for this Grant Program;
- The Maryland State Bond Bill (or other form of Maryland State capital funding) must be for the same capital project as the one in the application for this Grant Program;
- Organizations with an existing County capital award for the same project are not eligible for this Grant Program;
- An organization with an existing County capital award may apply for this Grant Program for a different project (see Funding Priorities above for related terms); and
- Applicants may only submit one application per organization under this NOFO.
- In addition, applicants must meet all the following general County eligibility conditions:
- The organization must have a Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be a collaboration between two or more entities with at least one having this status;
- The organization must be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT);
- The organization’s capital project must be, or planned to be, located in Montgomery County; and
- Current Montgomery County contract or grant award winners must be current on all reporting obligations for other awards and those reports must reflect substantial progress towards the goals of their awards.
For more information, visit Montgomery County.
