The Best Business Grants in Maryland

Maryland Department of Commerce

​​​​​​​​​​A flexible and broad-based program, Advantage Maryland (also known as MEDAAF) funds conditional grants, loans and investments to assist economic development initiatives. Uses include business attraction and retention, infrastructure support, brownfield redevelopment, arts and entertainment districts, daycare, revolving loan funds and local strategic planning. Projects must be within Priority Funding Areas and eligible industry sectors. Awards are made on a competitive basis.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$1,000,000

City of Baltimore

Funding is available to support businesses and property improvements within Baltimore's Downtown Management Authority boundaries.

Baltimore has multiple grant programs available for façade improvement and the buildout of storefronts. There are also funds available specifically for both minority-owned businesses and restaurant businesses.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$200,000

Baltimore County

The Grant for Revitalizing Office Workspaces (GROW) provides Baltimore County businesses signing their first commercial lease in the county with a one-time grant of $8 per square foot, up to a maximum of $80,000, to help offset initial leasing expenses. Administered by Baltimore County's Department of Economic and Workforce Development, the program is designed to encourage businesses to occupy and revitalize office workspaces across the county. To be eligible, businesses must execute a direct lease with a landlord for a minimum 36-month term on at least 500 square feet of Class A or Class B office space (Class A and Class B Flex space is also considered for businesses with a demonstrated need for laboratory space). Applicants must apply within 180 days of lease execution, have a minimum personal credit score of 625, and have signed their lease after February 14, 2025. Retail, restaurant, independent financial, and insurance agent or broker establishments are not eligible for this program. Awards are issued on a first-come, first-served basis subject to available funding approved by the County Executive and Baltimore County Council.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$80,000

MC Department of Labor

The Maryland Community Investment Venture (MCIV) Fund was created to accelerate the adoption of financial innovations that enhance access to capital and financial services for small business owners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities. The MCIV Fund provides grant dollars to fintech firms to pilot products and services in partnership with Maryland state-chartered financial institutions.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$50,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

The Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program and Fund (Fund) is a financing resource operated by the Maryland Department of Commerce (Commerce), to provide grants for innovation infrastructure projects intended to support innovation in an eligible technology sector.

Grant awards may be used to defray the cost a grantee incurs to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, install, improve, or equip an eligible innovation infrastructure project.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$2,000,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

The Cannabis Business Assistance Loan/Grant Fund (CBAF) is a financing resource operated by the Maryland Department of Commerce (Commerce), to provide grants and loans for small businesses, including small, minority-owned and small women-owned businesses entering the adult-use cannabis industry. CBAF may also provide grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for cannabis-related programs and to business development organizations, including incubators, to train and assist small businesses, including minority and women business owners and entrepreneurs, seeking to become licensed to participate in the adult-use cannabis industry.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$525,000

MD Energy Administration

The Maryland Energy Administration Commercial Solar Grant Program ("CSGP", "the Program") will provide grants for solar PV systems installed at Maryland businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations, that will be owned by or directly benefit (1) low-to-moderate income communities located in a census tract with an average median income at or below 80% of the average median income for the State, or (2) overburdened or underserved communities, as defined by §1-701 of the Environment Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. These solar PV systems can help reduce organizational operational costs and improve their sustainability, which can help them better serve the communities that surround them. Solar PV systems are excellent solutions for organizations that seek to free up capital for other expenses and projects, expand operations and offerings sustainably, and help Maryland meet its clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. This is especially important for Maryland businesses and other organizations that have historically been disadvantaged, overburdened, and underserved.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$500,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

The Sunny Day fund supports extraordinary economic development opportunities that create and retain employment as well as create significant capital investments. Projects must generate significant jobs in areas of high unemployment; they are evaluated on a competitive basis and must be consistent with the state's strategic economic development plan.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$1,000,000

MC Department of Labor

PWQ provides matching training grants and support services targeted to improve the competitive position of small and mid-sized manufacturing and technology companies. Grants are used to increase the skills of existing workers for new technologies and production processes, improve employee productivity and increase employment stability.

Applicants should have a minimum of ten full-time employees. At least 60% of available funds must be awarded to employers with 150 or fewer employees in the State. The Program encourages the participation of small and minority-owned businesses.

Priority will be given to manufacturing and technology companies. In regions of the State where regionally important industries have been identified beyond manufacturing and technology, justification should be provided to approve PWQ funding.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$200,000

Maryland DOT

The MDOT Small Business Grant Program provides direct grants of up to $50,000 to small businesses located along Maryland's Purple Line light rail corridor that are impacted by construction. Administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation, the program is designed to help offset the operational impact of construction-related closures and detours on businesses within one-quarter mile of the existing or future Purple Line tracks. The program runs from 2025 through 2028 with $1 million awarded each year across up to three application rounds, and is a successor to the earlier Purple Line Construction Zone Grant Program. Grant funds may be used for a wide range of business expenses, including payroll and healthcare benefits, contract labor, working capital, rent or mortgage payments, supplier payments, machinery and equipment, and utilities. In addition to direct grants, the program may also provide marketing funding and other business support for corridor businesses. Awards are competitive and prioritized based on a business's proximity to the most significant construction impacts.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$50,000

MARBIDCO

This grant is designed to meet the needs of MAryland urban farmers by providing an incentive for beginning urban farmers to seek commercial lender financing for the development of their urban agricultural enterprises, including the purchase of a farm property in an eligible urban area. MARBIDCO has partnered with Horizon Farm Credit to establish and manage this fund.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$35,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

Maryland's Winery and Vineyard Economic Development Grant Program provides financial assistance to individuals and corporations to establish a new winery or vineyard in the State or complete capital improvements at an existing winery or vineyard. Commerce will provide a grant to an individual or corporation for 25% of “qualified capital expenses.”

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$1,000,000

MD Economic Development Corporation

The Maryland Business Ready Sites Program (MBRSP) aims to accelerate investment by growing our inventory of shovel-ready sites across the state. By providing financial support to defray the costs of site characterization and site improvements and providing collaborative marketing support, this program will enable significant investment across Maryland from the leading industries of today and tomorrow.

MBRSP was created by Governor Wes Moore on December 19, 2024 by Executive Order, which reimagined how the State of Maryland fosters economic growth. MEDCO is proud to implement this program in close coordination with state, county and municipal economic development officials across Maryland.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$100,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

The Maryland MADE grant program provides grants to small Maryland manufacturers to invest in the adoption and deployment of smart manufacturing and high-performance manufacturing technologies that will increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and enable lasting improvements.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$15,000

Maryland Department of Commerce

The Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 grant program provides grants to small and mid-sized Maryland manufacturers to invest in Industry 4.0-related technologies, machinery and robotics, and digital business practices in order to remain competitive and drive growth. 20% of the funds will be reserved for small manufacturers with 3-50 employees.

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$500,000

State of Maryland

The Maryland Technology Internship Program (MTIP) helps Maryland retain top tech talent by increasing the number of paid technical internships offered in the state. Administered by UMBC and funded by the State of Maryland, the program offers financial assistance to small businesses, start-ups, non-profits and state and local agencies, to hire more interns.

The Maryland Technology Internship Program can reimburse employers for up to 50% of an intern’s wage, up to $5,500 annually per intern ($3,000 for the first semester and $2,500 for subsequent semester).

$ GRANT AMOUNT

$5,500