​​​​Chesapeake and Coastal Service

The following is a list of the funding programs administered by DNR’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service.

Chesapeake and Coastal Grants Gateway

To assist Maryland’s communities, the Grants Gateway provides a single point of entry for organizations seeking technical and financial assistance to restore local waterways, increase their resilience to climate impacts, strengthen local economies, and to develop the next generation of environmental stewards. Grants are made possible with funding through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the Coastal Resiliency Program, the Waterway Improvement Fund, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program.

Innovative Technology Fund

In partnership with the University of Maryland’s Maryland Industrial Partnership Program (MIPS), the State funds research & development projects focused on developing technologies that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. For more information, e-mail Sarah Lane or call 410-260-8788.

Shore Erosion Control

Provides assistance to waterfront property owners in resolving shoreline and streambank erosion problems. Provides technical and financial assistance for design and installation of shoreline stabilization and streambank restoration projects. If interested, contact Wesley Gould at 410-260-8812​ to discuss technical assistance and funding opportunities.

Watershed Assistance Grant Program

In partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the state offers planning and design grants and technical assistance through the Watershed Assistance Grant Program to meet the needs of local governments and communities preparing to undertake a comprehensive restoration effort.

Marine Sewage Pumpout Facility Grants

The Department of Natural Resources provides a reimbursement of up to $15,000 to marinas for the purchase and installation of marine sewage pumpout facilities. Marinas that install these systems provide boaters with a proper method of disposing of their sewage and thus contribute to cleaning up Maryland waters. Grant funding is also available for a reimbursement of pumpout operations and pumpout operations and maintenance, pumpout upgrades and replacement. This program is funded by the Federal Clean Vessel Act (75%) with supporting funds (25%) from the Maryland Waterway Improvement Fund.

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Other DNR Units

The following is a list of some of the programs administered by other DNR units that provide financial and technical resources. Please see the linked websites for additional information.

Forest Service

• Maryland Urban and Community Forestry Committee Grants Program - Funds for tree planting and education projects statewide to enhance Maryland’s urban forest.


• Volunteer Fire Assistance Program - Financial, technical and related assistance to rural volunteer fire departments and their communities.


• Forest Conservation Program - Minimizes the loss of Maryland’s forest resources during land development through the identification and protection of forests and other sensitive areas and creation of private property forest management plans.


• Forest Legacy Program - A federal program run in partnership with states that provides up to 75% federal cost-share for the purchase of conservation easements to protect forest land.


• Income Tax Modification for Reforestation & Timber Stand Improvement - Provides a modification to personal income taxes for initiating forest management practices, such as timber stand improvement and reforestation.


• ​ Cost Share Programs available to private landowners include the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), Woodland Incentive Program (WIP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and Glatfelter Pulpwood Company.

Land Acquisition and Planning​

• Community Parks and Playgrounds - Flexible grants to local governments to respond to the unmet need for assistance in projects to benefit existing parks or create new ones.


• Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund - Matching fund assistance to local governments to acquire and/or develop public outdoor recreational areas and facilities.


• Program Open Space - Financial and technical assistance to local governments for the planning, acquisitio, and/or development of recreation land or open space areas.


• Rural Legacy Program - Funding to preserve large, contiguous tracts of land and to enhance natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection while supporting a sustainable land base for natural resource based industries.

Maryland Environmental Trust

• Conservation Easement Program - Conservation Property Tax Credit - Encourages donation of conservation easements and gives participating landowners a 15-year property tax credit on unimproved land under easement to the Maryland Environmental Trust.


• Conservation Easement Program - State Income Tax Credit - Encourages donation of conservation easements and gives landowners a state income tax credit in return for the donation of easement to the Maryland Environmental Trust or the Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.


• ​ Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants - Grants through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program help volunteer-based, nonprofit groups, communities and land trusts in Maryland to support environmental education and stewardship projects, litter removal and to protect natural resources in urban and rural areas. These grants include the Community Stewardship grant, Capacity Building for Land Trusts grant and Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands grant.


• Land Trust Capacity, Excellence and Stewardship Grants are intended to increase land trust capacity, support programming and innovation and foster stronger, better connected land trusts that will protect all natural resources and enhance the lives of Maryland citizens and generations to come. These grants are available to local land trusts in Maryland and include the Aileen Hughes Grant and the Janice Hollmann Grant.