The Baltimore County Department of Planning is establishing a Community Improvement Grants program to assist neighborhood and community-based organizations to implement physical projects in their communities, neighborhoods and business districts.
Donor Name: Baltimore County Department of Planning
State: Maryland
County: Baltimore County (MD)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/16/2023
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Many projects will have been identified in their community plans or Sustainable Community Plans. Funds are not available for operating or program expenses.
Types of Projects
There will be a two-tiered structure to allow opportunities for smaller and larger projects:
- Initially, $200,000 will be set aside for smaller grants of $3,000 to $15,000. $1,000,000 will be set aside for larger projects. The larger grants can be from $15,001 to $100,000 and will require an additional review and approval by senior staff designated by the County Executive. A request for funding above $100,000 will require a meeting with, and approval to proceed, by the Director of Planning.
Eligible Projects
Funds are available for projects across the County. Proposed projects must be capital in nature and may be as little as $3,000. Capital projects are those which are likely to have a durability of 15 years or more, and cannot be easily picked up and removed. All projects should benefit the overall community. Projects should be completed within 2 years of grant award.
Examples of eligible projects include:
- Community gardens
- Neighborhood Gateway and Wayfinding signage (including design, fabrication, and installation)
- Improvements to community-owned property and buildings
- Commercial District directory kiosks, building improvements, benches, security cameras, bike racks, signage or planters
- Murals and other public art
- Pedestrian or bicycle trail creation or enhancements
- Playground, pocket-park or park enhancements
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations accessible to all community users
Eligibility Criteria
- Community organizations, non-profit organizations, and local Chambers of Commerce based in Baltimore County, including those organizations managing proposed projects in Baltimore County are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must have a 501(c)(3), (c)(4), or (c)(6) designation from the Internal Revenue Service and be in Good Standing with the State of Maryland. They must also have a bank account in its name or in the name of a fiscal agent.
Grant Review Criteria
Projects will be evaluated with the following criteria in mind. No project is expected to meet all of these criteria, and the below criteria are in no particular order. Projects that meet more than one criterion may be prioritized for funding:
- Capacity to implement the project as demonstrated by past experience (if applicable) and proposed implementation steps and timeframe for the proposed project.
- Clearly defined project that can be reasonably implemented within the timeframe
- Visible, tangible improvement to community quality of life in a neighborhood or commercial district
- Is aligned with current community plans, revitalization initiatives, and/or enhances existing community assets
- Advances equity and inclusion in how the project is developed, how it will be implemented, and who it will serve
- Geographic diversity in project awards across the County
- An innovative approach that may be replicated in other communities in the County, or that replicates an approach taken elsewhere in a new location
- Leverages other funds and/or partnerships and volunteers
- Opportunity for the project to help build the grantee’s future capacity.
For more information, visit BCDP.
