Local Government Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Project Cost Share Program

Overview

MARBIDCO strives to have a close working relationship with local and regional economic development offices recognizing the important role that these offices can play in fostering the retention and growth of Maryland’s existing and emerging agricultural and resource-based businesses. To lend support to local rural business development efforts, as well as to guide county and municipal economic development officials, MARBIDCO has created a grant program to match rural business development investments being made by local governments and rural regional development councils.

Maximum Grant Amounts

  • $10,000 is the maximum grant amount;

  • Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) matching grants are capped at $5,000;

  • deer fences, as well as farm operation solar systems or generators that provide commercial business energy, are capped at $3,000.

There is a limit of $25,000 in total grants that can be awarded to any single government jurisdiction in any given fiscal year and a $15,000 lifetime maximum for “Designees” (the actual applicants/farmers).

Project Criteria

For MARBIDCO to participate in an economic development cost-share project with a unit of local government or a regional council the following criteria must be met:

1) MARBIDCO will consider a project cost-share request from a local economic development office if the project fits within MARBIDCO’s statutorily established economic development profile. Any project activity funded by MARBIDCO must assist in some fashion Maryland’s farming, forestry, or seafood industries (including potentially agri-tourism activities). Businesses that produce foodstuffs or other goods that grow in the soil or in the water, and the packaging and/or value-added processing and marketing of any such products, are generally eligible targets of MARBIDCO’s programs. Water and air quality improvement projects that contribute to business sustainability may also be eligible.

2) If a project directly benefits an individual farmer or rural business owner, then the farmer or business owner must be willing to make a financial contribution to the project. The amount of a business owner’s equity contribution can vary depending upon the individual circumstances. Projects that do not directly involve individual business owners (such as industry feasibility studies) may not require private equity contributions.

Application Submission Process

All applications must be submitted by a local or regional economic development office, and the funds being utilized by the governmental entity must be own-source (rather than simply pass-through) funds.

Send completed applications to MARBIDCO, Local Government Grant Program Attn. Daniela Merkle1410 Forest Drive, Suite 21 Annapolis, MD 21403 or Electronically to: dmerkle@marbidco.org