The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority has awarded eighty-seven matching grants totaling $5.19 million to Maryland nonprofits, local jurisdictions, and heritage tourism organizations. Two projects in the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Areas in Caroline County have been awarded over $138,000 in funding:
- The Hubbard Leverton Foundation received the maximum capital State Heritage Area grant award of $100,000 to support restoration of the Leverton House to its circa 1840-1850 appearance. The Leverton House is the only standing Underground Railroad station house on the Eastern Shore and possibly the state of Maryland. Upon completion and with the help of this funding for the project, public access will be permitted to visitors to offer a more immersive experience to this profoundly piece of African American History.
- Adkins Arboretum received a non-capital award of $38,356 in State Heritage Area funding to create Indigenous Voices of the Chesapeake- a pilot series of podcasts, a website, and a short film. Aimed to develop meaningful relationships with the indigenous communities in the Chesapeake Bay region while creating awareness about the region’s earliest stewards and cultures and offering space for Indigenous people to tell their own stories.
Maryland Heritage Areas Authority awards grants to nonprofit organizations and government entities withing their local Heritage Area. These grants support projects involving historical, cultural or natural resources, sites, events or facilities. Eligible projects must have a heritage tourism component or contribute to research that will directly inform a heritage tourism product.
The next funding cycle for State Heritage Area grants will open in December 2024 for projects planned to start in July 2025. View upcoming heritage and preservation funding opportunities here.
