Grants for Rural-serving Nonprofit Organizations in the United States

Deadline: 20-May-22

The Rural Maryland Council is pleased to announce the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) program for rural-serving nonprofit organizations that promote statewide and regional planning, economic and community development, and agricultural and forestry education.

The Fund's goal is to increase the overall capacity of rural-serving nonprofit organizations and community colleges to meet a multitude of rural development challenges and to help them establish new public/private partnerships for leveraging non-state sources of funding. The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) serves as the administrative agency in receiving the applications and disbursing the grants to the successful applicants.

Focus Areas

Agriculture & Forestry
- Agricultural Education
- Regional Food System Development
- Forest Industry Developmen
Energy
- Combined Heat Power
- Energy Efficiency
- Biomass
Rural Broadband
- Including Rural Municipal Broadband Expansion
Youth Engagement & Leadership Development
- Summer Enrichment Programs
- Care and Technology Centers
Community & Economic Development
- Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development
- Workforce Development

Funding Information

The maximum grant amount is $45,000. Each year, the number of applicants greatly exceeds the amount of funding available.

Eligible Projects: To be eligible, proposals must serve more than one rural county and be completed between August 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

Rural counties: State-determined rural counties are Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester. Regional projects may include non-rural counties but the majority of service must be provided in rural areas.

Preferences: Priority is given to applicants that have secured matching funds from non-state sources; however, matching funds are not required. Federal funds are considered matching funds. Locally serving communitybased organizations have preference."

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be a 501(c) (3) IRS tax designation or similar and serve a regional or statewide rural constituency. Trade associations are not eligible. Community Colleges, Career Technology Centers, Regional Councils and Libraries are eligible applicants. The applicant does not have to be located in a rural area or in the area it serves.

For more information, visit MAERDAF.

For more information, visit https://rural.maryland.gov/grant-opportunities/