Beneficial Use (Grants Gateway Outcome 5) (DNR Beneficial Use): Status and Deadlines for Maryland Applicants

What it funds: Assessment, planning, design and permitting for projects that reuse dredged sediment, such as thin-layer placement to restore wetlands, stabilizing eroding shorelines or islands, restoring underwater grasses or fish and shellfish habitat, and local sediment management plans. Construction is not funded.
Who can apply: Local governments and nonprofit organizations, for projects in Maryland's Coastal Zone. A formal partnership with a dredging authority, such as a marina or the Maryland Port Administration, is required.
Match: No match is required; offering up to 1:1 match or cost savings makes a proposal more competitive.
Award: Projects typically cost $30,000–$100,000; permit fees are not eligible.

How Maryland applicants apply

Apply in the Grants Gateway portal when a round is open, choosing the dropdown labeled '#5-Foster sustainable development and use of Maryland waterways...' (legacy text DNR says to use). Contact Maggie Cavey, maggie.cavey1@maryland.gov, 240-886-2356.

The program on dnr.maryland.gov

Dates

No dates are listed ahead. FY2028 applications were due September 18, 2026, and DNR lists funding beginning October 1, 2026. No awards were posted on DNR's Beneficial Use page as of October 29, 2026, and the next round has not been announced.

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What has changed

July 15, 2026The FY2028 solicitation lists Beneficial Use as Outcome 5, funded by NOAA Coastal Zone Management money, with a September 18, 2026 deadline; in the FY2027 solicitation, Outcome 5 was the Waterway Improvement Fund, which no longer takes applications through Grants Gateway. (dnr.maryland.gov)

Sources

Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

As of October 29, 2026: Closed. FY2028 applications were due September 18, 2026, and DNR lists funding beginning October 1, 2026. No awards were posted on DNR's Beneficial Use page as of October 29, 2026, and the next round has not been announced.

Assessment, planning, design and permitting for projects that reuse dredged sediment, such as thin-layer placement to restore wetlands, stabilizing eroding shorelines or islands, restoring underwater grasses or fish and shellfish habitat, and local sediment management plans. Construction is not funded.

Local governments and nonprofit organizations, for projects in Maryland's Coastal Zone. A formal partnership with a dredging authority, such as a marina or the Maryland Port Administration, is required.

No match is required; offering up to 1:1 match or cost savings makes a proposal more competitive.

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