On July 10, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area and five local partner organizations were awarded $534,000 in Maryland Heritage Grant Awards. As one of 13 certified local management entities for Maryland’s Heritage Areas Program, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area (CCHA) opens access to these funds for local organization’s in support for heritage tourism and economic development initiatives across Maryland. Grants totaling $534,000 were awarded to 5 local Annapolis and Anne Arundel County non-profit organizations and the range of exciting projects, both capital and non-capital. Their work will support the development of heritage-related, place-based projects across the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area that promote economic growth through tourism, community enhancement, and sustainability.
This years grant cycle was exceptionally competitive and CCHA was fortunate that in the statewide pool of 153 applications, to have the following grants funded:
- Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park (Wilma Lee Electrical & Rigging Rehabilitation Project – $100,000)
- Galesville Heritage Society, Inc. (Galesville Maritime Heritage Festival – $10,000)
- Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (Bowen Theatre Capital Improvements at Maryland Hall – $100,000)
- Severn Cross Roads Foundation -Baldwin Hall (Historic Baldwin Hall Roof Replacement Project – $75,000)
- Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (Tracks, Trails, & Tales: Celebrating 200 Years of American Railroads – $49,000)
As the certified management entity, CCHA also received $200,000 in operations or management funding, which supports the staffing, technical assistance, public outreach, educational programming and marketing of the CCHA and its 60-plus partners across the City and County. This support also allows us to sponsor the annual Maryland Day Celebration, set for March 19 thru 25, 2027. A substantial portion of that operations grant will also pass directly back into out local community through the CCHA Mini-Grant program, set to launch for FY27 in August.
“CCHA will use a portion of these grant funds to award $40,000 in FY2027 Mini-Grants directly to local nonprofit organizations, museums, and heritage sites. As many of our partners know, funding for historic preservation and heritage organizations is woefully inadequate. We are honored to help fill that gap by providing critical local support for preservation, interpretation, education, and heritage tourism projects throughout Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Every dollar invested in these organizations helps preserve our shared history, strengthen our communities, and create engaging experiences for residents and visitors alike. These grants are often the catalyst that enables important projects to move from vision to reality.”
We want to take a moment to also recognize the 19 other partner organizations within the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area who submitted stellar and meaningful applications but were not funded in this incredibly competitive funding round. The amount of funding available for FY27 project grants was $2,505,700. A total of 153 applications were received from all 13 heritage areas (66 capital / 87 non-capital projects), requesting a total of $7,733,412. Ultimately, 45 project grants (22 capital projects and 23 non-capital) were awarded.
Regretfully, there is a limited pool of funds, which the State strives to distribute as evenly as possible across the 13 Heritage Area art of a highly competitive statewide pool, underscoring both the strength of our local heritage community and the significant demand for additional preservation and heritage tourism funding. The number and high quality of applications demonstrate the need for enhanced investment in Maryland’s heritage resources—both locally and statewide.
The Maryland Heritage Areas Program provides $2.4 billion in annual economic benefit to the state and Maryland Heritage Areas Program grants generate $319.8 million in state and local taxes while supporting 33,815 full and part-time jobs annually. Organizations receiving awards include museums, parks, arts organizations, historic sites, schools and other educational institutions, as well as other entities that steward and celebrate the unique cultural and natural resources located within Maryland’s 13 state-certified heritage areas.
“You can not understand the history of America without understanding the history of our state,” said Gov. Moore. “The Maryland Heritage Areas Program grant awards ensure that the history and the culture that makes our state great, is preserved through private-public partnerships that boost our local economies, while enriching and educating Marylanders and all who visit our state.”