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Maryland NourishMD Grant
Maryland DHCD
ABOUT THE GRANT
The Maryland NourishMD Grant Program provides Maryland food retailers with grants of $25,000 to $150,000 to expand access to healthy and fresh foods in communities experiencing food insecurity. Administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the program has up to $3.67 million in total funding available per round, drawn from two sources: $2 million in state funds available statewide, and $1.67 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funds specifically for retailers located in designated rural Maryland counties. Dually-sourced awards that combine both funding streams are available for retailers that qualify for both.
Eligible applicants include both for-profit and nonprofit food retailers that serve a community with a Maryland Community Compass (MCC) Fresh Food Gap Score of 65 percent or higher, operate at least five days per week year-round (farmers markets and on-farm markets are exempt from the 5-day requirement but must operate at least 10 months of the year), currently offer (or plan to offer) fresh, frozen, or minimally processed healthy foods, and dedicate at least 20 percent of inventory or food-sales space to healthy food items. Qualifying retailers include grocery stores, corner stores, farm stands and on-farm markets, farmers' markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations, food co-ops, delivery retailers serving populations with low fresh food access, and small retail stores where the majority of inventory or sales are food-related (provided no more than 25 percent of gross sales are derived from alcohol or tobacco products).
State funds may be used for purchase of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (such as Energy Star-rated refrigeration and shelving), renovation, build-out, and facility upgrades, capital needs related to inventory expansion for non-prepared foods, working capital tied to expansion or renovations, infrastructure and technology for SNAP/EBT setup, purchase of a vehicle for fresh food delivery, and commercial solar installations or heat pumps to reduce operating costs. RHTP funds have a narrower use case, and can be applied to furniture, fixtures, and equipment, facility upgrades that specifically support cold storage or point-of-sale expansion (such as electrical upgrades for a new walk-in, WiFi costs for POS terminal usage, or a cement slab for a new walk-in), SNAP/EBT infrastructure and technology, pre-approved marketing costs to promote RHTP-funded efforts, delivery vehicles, and electrical installations or heat pumps. Expenses related to pre-harvest infrastructure are not eligible under either funding source.
Applications are submitted through a two-tiered process. Tier 1 is a shorter triage application that verifies baseline eligibility (including an automated check confirming the applicant's community meets the 65 percent Fresh Food Gap Score floor) and captures a high-level overview of the business and proposed use of grant funds. Applicants who pass Tier 1 and receive leadership approval are invited to submit a comprehensive Tier 2 application, which includes detailed project narratives, line-item budgets with vendor quotes, and governance and compliance documentation. The program also serves as a vetting engine for broader DHCD initiatives: NourishMD applicants may indicate interest in the DHCD Business Lending program for follow-on direct loans, and are also considered for coordinated funding through the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Maryland Market Money (MMM) partnership, which provides dollar-for-dollar matches on federal nutrition benefit purchases at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and on-farm retailers.
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NOTES
We haven't added commentary on this grant yet. In the meantime, the fundor's website (linkeded above) is the best source for application details and eligibility specifics.
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