The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) is requesting heritage tourism nonprofit organizations to apply for emergency operating matching grants of up to $20,000. As a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the economic ramifications, many heritage tourism nonprofit organizations’ sources of income, from event admission and tour group revenue to memberships and donations, have been impacted.
Heritage tourism nonprofits located within one of Maryland’s 13 Certified Heritage Areas are eligible to apply for the emergency operating support. The application and review process has been streamlined to make sure the award process moves quickly.
MHAA has taken a number of steps to help ensure that these organizations can continue to steward the important heritage resources in their charge throughout this crisis and they remain poised to reopen to the public and continue to drive economic development once the crisis has subsided.
Grant applications for COVID-19 MHAA Emergency Grant Guidelines will be accepted on a rolling basis. The first deadline for applications is May 1, 2020. Potential applicants should consult the COVID-19 MHAA Emergency Grant Guidelines on the Maryland Historic Trust’s website for details and a direct link to the application.
For organizations that already have active grants, MHAA staff have automatically extended all project completion and reporting deadlines by 90 days, recognizing that further extensions may be needed. MHAA has allowed current nonprofit organization grantees to shift their remaining grant and matching funds to emergency operating expenditures, through a grant amendment process. MHAA has also made it possible for the 13 Certified Heritage Areas, who provide smaller grants, to take similar steps for their grantees at the local level.
MHAA is an independent unit of state government that operates in the Maryland Department of Planning. For more information, please visit MHAA website.