MHAA Grant
The FY2025 MHAA Grant Round is underway. Grant decisions will be announced on July 11, 2024. The FY2026 Grant Round will be announced in December. The information below may be of use to you in planning an application for next year, but grant materials are revised every year.
Do you have a heritage tourism related project in mind for your organization? Perhaps you are planning to restore a historic building, create a new museum exhibit, build a visitor center, develop a walking tour mobile application, or undertake some other project that showcases Maryland’s unique historical, cultural, or natural resources. Will the project take place in a certified heritage area, including the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area? A Maryland Heritage Areas project grant may be the funding source for you!
When planning an MHAA Application, you MUST e-mail our office to set up a time for a call or zoom to discuss your organization’s prospective plans.
MHAA Grant Program Basics
MHAA provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants for capital and non-capital projects located within Maryland’s 13 certified heritage areas. Non-profit organizations, local jurisdictions, state agencies, and federal agencies are all eligible to apply.
Non-capital MHAA grants are awarded for up to $50,000 per project, while capital MHAA grants are awarded for up to $100,000 per project. Projects seeking less than $5,000 in grant funding are not eligible for MHAA project grants. MHAA requires that both capital and non-capital projects support heritage tourism related activities or infrastructure.
Match Policy
Applicants may propose any combination of cash and in-kind match. This means a project might be matched entirely by volunteer time spent on the project, if that makes sense for the application budget. More information can be found in the FY2025 Grant Guidelines.
Intent To Apply
The first step in the application process is to submit a simple online questionnaire called an “Intent to Apply” form. The online form for FY2026 will be due at the end of January, 2025.
Here in the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area, we have new documents, including a new Five-Year Plan and Interpretive Framework!
If you have plans to write an application in the Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area, or any questions about developing your project, please send an email to [email protected] to schedule a call with Executive Director Carol Benson at your convenience. Thank you!
Writing the Grant Application
Applicants should download and read the Grant Guidelines document.
Every year MHAA staff hosts a series of webinars and Q&A sessions to assist you with any questions you may have about the process. The FY2026 Grant Round webinars will be announced in December 2025.
Helpful Links
MHAA Grant Resources
Five-Year Plan for FY2024 - 2028
Download the Chesapeake Crossroads Five-Year Plan for FY2024 - FY2028 (.pdf)
(This Plan includes a new Interpretive Framework for our heritage area, approved by MHAA)
Interpretive Framework
Grant Writing 101
Grant Writing 201
