Rural Maryland Council – FY2026 Grant Cycle Open: Submit Your Letter of Intent Today!

April 18, 2025

Annapolis, MD – The Rural Maryland Council is now accepting letters of intent to apply for the Fiscal Year 2026 grant programs, which include funding for capacity building, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, rural health, and regional economic and planning to meet rural community needs. We thank Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly Presiding Officers Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker Adrienne Jones for including $6,118,485 in the Fiscal Year 2026 State Operating Budget to support the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) and the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF). The deadline for grant submissions is Friday, May 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm.

“We are grateful to receive this valuable funding, which supports vital programs in our rural communities,” said Susan O’Neill, RMC Board Chair. “While we’re disappointed by the reduction in this year’s budget, it has only strengthened our resolve to work even harder on behalf of rural Maryland, and we remain committed to advocating for their needs.”

The Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund targets investment to promote economic prosperity in Maryland’s traditionally disadvantaged and underserved rural communities by sustaining efforts to promote rural regional cooperation, facilitating entrepreneurial activities, and supporting key community colleges and nonprofit organizations. This fund will support the Rural Maryland Council’s activities and the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) which provides capacity-building funds to rural nonprofit service providers. It will also support the state’s five rural regional councils, regional infrastructure projects, rural entrepreneurship development, workforce development, cooperative development, agricultural development, rural community development, and rural health care organizations.

The RMPIF and MAERDAF grant programs have provided substantial amounts of needed opportunities and resources to our rural communities over the years. With the State’s investment, an additional $67 million in federal, local, and private funding has been directed into our rural areas. Overall, the RMPIF program between 2018 and 2021 has resulted in $124 million in economic impact and $40.9 million in employee compensation. The MAERDAF program has provided $12.1 million in additional economic impact and $4.4 million in employee compensation.

The two-phase online grant application process opened on Monday, April 21, 2025, and the Phase 1 – Letter of Intent will be due by Friday, May 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm. The Council plans to host grant information sessions across the State. These information sessions are important opportunities for participants to meet RMC staff and learn about the Council’s two grant programs. Lunch will be provided at the in-person sessions.

The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) operates under the direction of a 40-member executive board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner. It serves as the state’s federally designated rural development council and functions as the official voice for rural Maryland. The RMC advocates for rural communities and businesses across the state to flourish and to gain parity to their suburban and urban counterparts. The RMC envisions a future where residents in rural communities are achieving success in education and employment, have access to affordable, quality health care and other vital public services, and live in an environment where natural and cultural resources are being sustained for future generations.

Learn more about the grant programs and register for an upcoming grant information session by visiting the RMC website – rural.maryland.gov/grant opportunities.