- What it funds
- Grants, or technical help from a DNR-selected provider, for local planning on coastal, riverine and rain-driven flooding: risk and vulnerability assessments, adaptation strategies, conceptual or engineered designs, updated ordinances, codes and plans, green infrastructure plans and Community Rating System work. Deliverables must lead to risk-reduction strategies or higher local standards.
- Who can apply
- County governments and local jurisdictions. The coastal track covers projects in Maryland's Coastal Zone; a Western & Central Maryland track covers local jurisdictions in Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett (Chesapeake Bay watershed portion), Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties.
- Match
- No match is required in Grants Gateway, though match or leveraged funds can make a proposal more competitive. DNR has not posted match terms for the Western & Central track, which follows EPA requirements.
- Award
- Coastal track: up to $125,000, typically $40,000–$100,000 for projects of up to one year; Western & Central track: up to $100,000, typically $40,000–$90,000.
How Maryland applicants apply
Coastal track: apply in the Grants Gateway portal (webportalapp.com/sp/grants_gateway) with a signed transmittal letter, support letters from the body that will adopt the work, the budget table, the sea level rise Appendix A worksheet and a communication and engagement strategy. Western & Central track: use the separate application form linked on DNR's Outcome 2 page. Contact Leah Sheppard, leah.sheppard@maryland.gov, 410-260-8718.
The program on dnr.maryland.govDates
- November 15, 2026 · Last day for DNR technical assistance and site visits (as requested)in 16 days · source
- December 4, 2026 · Preferred submission date for the Western & Central Maryland track (applications are rolling)in 35 days · source
- December 11, 2026 · Coastal-track applications due by 11:59 p.m. in the Grants Gateway portalin 42 days · source
- April 1, 2027 · Western & Central track funding expected to be available around this date (expected)in 153 days · source
- June 1, 2027 · Coastal-track award notifications expected June–July 2027 (expected)in 214 days · source
What has changed
- July 15, 2026The FY2028 solicitation renamed it Community Flood Planning and lists county governments and local jurisdictions as eligible applicants; the coastal track stays limited to the Coastal Zone. (dnr.maryland.gov)
- July 15, 2025The FY2027 solicitation ran this track as 'Building Flood Resilience' (Outcome 2) for Coastal Zone projects, up to $125,000, with applications due December 12, 2025. (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.
- dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Pages/Outcome2.aspx
- dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Pages/funding/grantsgateway.aspx
- dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Documents/FY2028-Grants-Gateway-Solicitation.pdf
- dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Documents/FY2027-Grants-Gateway-Solicitation.pdf
- news.maryland.gov/dnr/2026/07/15/maryland-accepting-requests-to-fund-watershed-restoration-community-flood-planning-beneficial-use-and-environmental-education
Frequently Asked Questions
As of October 29, 2026: Open. Coastal-track applications are due December 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m., with funding from October 1, 2027. The Western & Central track takes applications on a rolling basis through its own form, preferring those submitted by December 4, 2026, with funding around April 1, 2027.
Grants, or technical help from a DNR-selected provider, for local planning on coastal, riverine and rain-driven flooding: risk and vulnerability assessments, adaptation strategies, conceptual or engineered designs, updated ordinances, codes and plans, green infrastructure plans and Community Rating System work. Deliverables must lead to risk-reduction strategies or higher local standards.
County governments and local jurisdictions. The coastal track covers projects in Maryland's Coastal Zone; a Western & Central Maryland track covers local jurisdictions in Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett (Chesapeake Bay watershed portion), Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties.
No match is required in Grants Gateway, though match or leveraged funds can make a proposal more competitive. DNR has not posted match terms for the Western & Central track, which follows EPA requirements.
Coastal track: apply in the Grants Gateway portal (webportalapp.com/sp/grants_gateway) with a signed transmittal letter, support letters from the body that will adopt the work, the budget table, the sea level rise Appendix A worksheet and a communication and engagement strategy. Western & Central track: use the separate application form linked on DNR's Outcome 2 page. Contact Leah Sheppard, leah.sheppard@maryland.gov, 410-260-8718.
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