The Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) supports the Rural Maryland Council’s operating activities, including the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF), and the State’s five rural Regional Councils. The RMPIF grant program is designed to facilitate significant targeted investments in important economic and community development programs and promote regional and intergovernmental cooperation. The MAERDAF grant program provides capacity-building grants to rural serving nonprofit organizations and community colleges that promote statewide and regional planning, economic and community development, youth engagement & leadership development, energy, rural broadband, and agricultural and forestry education.
| Total Requested: | 192 Applications | $20,763,664 |
| Total Awarded: | 98 Grants | $8,714,679 |
Regional Councils: 5 Grants = $3,000,000
Per Statute, one-third of the RMPIF is distributed to the State’s five rural regional planning and development councils:
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Mid-Shore Regional Council | $600,000 |
| Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore | $600,000 |
| Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland | $600,000 |
| Tri-County Council for Western Maryland | $600,000 |
| Upper Shore Regional Council | $600,000 |
Regional Council activities funded through RMPIF, include:
- Equity lending
- Transportation software and systems
- Regional agricultural development and education
- Economic and small business development activities
- Summer Career Enrichment
- Rural economic research
Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund: 54 Grants = $4,745,558
The RMPIF grant program has three focus areas-Health Care, Entrepreneurship, and Infrastructure. RMPIF Entrepreneurship was expanded during the 2023 Legislative Session (House Bill 695) to include Workforce Development, Cooperative Development, and Agricultural Development. In FY2024, this program received 89 applications totaling $14,389,524 in requests. Of these requests, 54 grants totaling $4,745,558 were awarded.
RMPIF Health Care: 17 Grants = $1,500,000
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Asian American Center of Frederick | $25,500 |
| Atlantic General Hospital | $206,160 |
| Carroll County Youth Service Bureau | $100,000 |
| Chesapeake Housing Mission Inc. | $22,260 |
| For All Seasons, Inc. | $30,000 |
| For All Seasons, Inc. | $125,000 |
| Fort Ritchie Community Center, Inc. | $45,393 |
| Frederick Health Inc. | $332,185 |
| GRMC, Inc., DBA Garrett Regional Medical Center | $85,000 |
| Health Partners Inc. | $79,000 |
| Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation | $30,000 |
| Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation | $150,000 |
| Ivy and Pearls of Southern Maryland Community Charities, Inc. | $10,000 |
| Martin’s House & Barn | $19,067 |
| Maryland Diaper Bank | $15,750 |
| The Frederick Center | $15,260 |
| TidalHealth | $209,425 |
RMPIF Health Care-Nonemergency Medical Transportation Pilot Program: 4 Grants=$191,803
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Caring Carroll, Inc. | $45,000 |
| LifeStyles of Maryland Foundation, Inc. | $30,000 |
| Partners In Care Maryland, Inc. | $75,000 |
| The Arc Southern Maryland | $41,803 |
RMPIF Entrepreneurship (Expanded to include Workforce Development, Cooperative Development and Agricultural Development: 22 Grants = $1,516,156
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Affiliated Sante Group | $53,300 |
| Asian American Center of Frederick | $120,000 |
| Carroll Technology & Innovation Council | $63,000 |
| Carroll Technology & Innovation Council | $15,000 |
| Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce | $60,000 |
| Ferry Cove Shellfish | $80,000 |
| Frostburg State University | $75,000 |
| Garrett County Arts Council, Inc. | $54,986 |
| Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna | $30,000 |
| Habitat For Humanity of Wicomico County, Inc. | $240,000 |
| People for Change Coalition | $70,000 |
| Somerset County Economic Development | $8,500 |
| Somerset County Health Department | $55,000 |
| The Greater Cumberland Committee | $203,834 |
| The Interfaith Service Coalition, Inc. | $28,000 |
| True Oyster Restoration Initiative, Inc. | $100,000 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore Graduate School, Physician Assistant
Leadership & Learning Academy |
$37,500 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | $80,000 |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore | $45,000 |
| University of Maryland Extension – Calvert County 4-H | $41,036 |
| Vehicles for Change, Inc. | $45,000 |
| Wholesome Harvest Co-op | $11,000 |
RMPIF Infrastructure: 11 Grants = $1,537,599
| Awardee | Total Award |
| African American Resources-Cultural and Heritage Society Inc. | $313,928 |
| Charles County Military Alliance Council | $238,000 |
| City Of Crisfield | $110,000 |
| Maryland Deaf Community Center | $125,000 |
| County Commissioners for Somerset County | $235,735 |
| Sport And Entertainment Corporation of Maryland | $62,763 |
| St. Mary’s Nursing Center | $45,000 |
| The Arc Central Chesapeake Region | $200,000 |
| The Federated Charities Corporation of Frederick | $47,173 |
| Town of Keedysville | $10,000 |
| Town of Middletown | $150,000 |
Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund: 39 Grants = $969,121
The MAERDAF grant program has five focus areas-Agricultural and Forestry Education, Community and Economic Development, Energy, Rural Broadband, and Youth Engagement and Leadership Development. In FY2024, this program received 98 applications totaling $3,374,140 in requests. Of these requests, 39 grants totaling $969,121 were awarded.
MAERDAF Agricultural and Forestry Education: 13 Grants = $386,000
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Allegany College of Maryland | $45,000 |
| Around The Bay Farmer’s Alliance | $45,000 |
| Chesapeake Culinary Center | $10,000 |
| Delmarva Chicken Association | $27,000 |
| Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center | $30,000 |
| Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation | $25,000 |
| Future Harvest | $33,000 |
| Ladies of Charity Calvert County, Inc | $6,000 |
| LEAD Maryland Foundation, Inc. | $30,000 |
| Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation | $40,000 |
| Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education | $35,000 |
| Maryland Food Bank – Eastern Shore | $30,000 |
| MPT Foundation, Inc. | $30,000 |
MAERDAF Community Development: 12 Grants = $245,930
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Aaron’s Place Inc | $8,803 |
| Adkins Arboretum, Ltd. | $20,000 |
| Bay Community Support Services, Inc. | $44,000 |
| Community Development Network of Maryland | $15,000 |
| Diakonia | $12,627 |
| Habitat for Humanity Choptank, Inc. | $950 |
| Mid-Shore Community Foundation | $10,000 |
| Mid Shore Community Mediation Center | $8,950 |
| Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc. | $30,800 |
| Moving Dorchester Forward | $34,800 |
| Rebuilding Together Kent County | $30,000 |
| Queen Anne’s County Department of Economic and Tourism Development | $30,000 |
MAERDAF Economic Development: 8 Grants=$191,241
| Ann’s Circle, Inc. (DBA Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center) | $45,000 |
| Allegany College of Maryland | $45,000 |
| Beach to Bay Heritage Area | $26,200 |
| Eastern Shore Land Conservancy | $30,000 |
| Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, Inc. | $10,000 |
| Lower Shore Land Trust | $17,765 |
| Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory | $6,926 |
| Pure Play Every Day, Inc. | $10,350 |
MAERDAF Energy: 2 Grants = $71,100
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Maryland Rural Development Corporation | $40,500 |
| The Benedictine School for Exceptional Children Foundation, Inc. | $30,600 |
MAERDAF Youth Engagement & Leadership Development: 4 Grants = $74,850
| Awardee | Total Award |
| Building African American Minds, Inc | $44,500 |
| Fair Hill Environmental Foundation, Inc. | $15,000 |
| Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore | $5,000 |
| The Parents’ Place of Maryland | $10,350 |
Rural Maryland Council: Operating Budget – $750,000
| Organization | Funds Distributed |
| Rural Maryland Council | $750,000 |
Founded in 1994, the Rural Maryland Council (RMC) serves as the state’s federally designated rural development council and functions as a voice for Rural Maryland – advocating, educating, and helping rural communities and businesses across the state to flourish and to gain equity to its suburban and urban counterparts. The Council administers the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) and the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) grant programs. Additionally, the Council conducts research activities to understand rural challenges and outreach to engage rural residents in developing solutions to these challenges and convenes groups to identify solutions through consensus and coalition building.
RMC operates under the direction of a 40-member Executive Board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner. The Council’s vision is a future where all of Rural Maryland is prosperous with thriving resources, vibrant economies, and healthy, connected communities. The organizational goals are to:
- Encourage healthy, connected communities throughout Rural Maryland through convening stakeholders, education, public relations, and advocacy;
- Support the development and growth of vibrant economies in Rural Maryland;
- Foster stewardship of Maryland’s natural resources; and,
- Maximize outreach, resources, and mission through financial and organizational development.
