Maryland Environmental Trust has approved 20 grants totaling $238,751 to be awarded for environmental education, community cleanup, tree planting, and beautification projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program.
Presented annually since 1986, the grant program is managed by the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and administered on the department’s behalf by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Maryland Environmental Trust’s Board of Trustees voted to approve the grants after staff completed an application and review process.
The grants are funded by the Maryland Environmental Trust, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), and the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).
Keep Maryland Beautiful recipients included schools, nonprofit groups, municipalities, and land trusts in nine counties and Baltimore City.
Keep Maryland Beautiful grants are awarded through these programs:
Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands
Three grants totaling $141,751, were funded by MDA. These grants support cost-effective reforestation or afforestation projects on qualifying agricultural land to support the state’s efforts in planting 5 million native trees by 2031.
Capacity Building for Land Trusts
Six grants totaling $50,000, were funded by MDOT and MET. These grants are awarded to Maryland land trusts to increase capacity, support community programming and innovation, and foster stronger, better connected land trusts. The program is in honor of Janice Hollmann, who co-founded the Severn River Land Trust and the Arundel Conservation Trust.
Community Stewardship
Nine grants totaling $42,000, were funded by MDOT and MET. These grants are awarded to schools, nonprofits and other community organizations who encourage environmental stewardship through education, engagement and greening projects while elevating awareness of local environmental problems and working to reduce them.
Aileen Hughes Grant
For individuals representing Maryland land trusts for outstanding leadership and innovation in conservation, two grants totaling $5,000, were funded by MET. The two grants of $2,500 each are awarded to the Maryland land trusts in recognition of the individuals’ efforts and good work. The grant is given annually to honor the late Aileen Hughes, longtime president of the American Chestnut Land Trust.
Individuals and organizations receiving awards for 2025 are:
Anne Arundel County
Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park (Community Stewardship Grant)
Baltimore City
Blue Water Baltimore (Community Stewardship Grant)
Greater Mount Holly Community Development Corporation (Community Stewardship Grant)
No Boundaries Coalition (Community Stewardship Grant)
St. Matthew’s New Life United Methodist Church (Community Stewardship Grant)
York Corridor Business Improvement District Management Authority (Community Stewardship Grant)
Baltimore County
NeighborSpace of Baltimore County (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center (Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands Grant)
Calvert County
American Chestnut Land Trust (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
Charles County
Conservancy for Charles County (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
Frederick County
David Lillard, Catoctin Land Trust (Aileen Hughes Grant)
Harford County
Friends Falls Creek Farm (Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands Grant)
Harford Land Trust (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
Howard County
Howard County Conservancy (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
Howard EcoWorks (Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands Grant)
Meg Boyd, Howard County Conservancy (Aileen Hughes Grant)
Patapsco Heritage Greenway (Community Stewardship Grant)
Prince George’s County
Chesapeake Natives (Community Stewardship Grant)
ECO City Farms (Community Stewardship Grant)
Worcester County
Lower Shore Land Trust (Capacity Building for Land Trusts Grant)
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
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