The Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA) is pleased to announce a new grant program that focuses funding to historic neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Placemaking Grant program will support efforts to build a sense of place, improve quality life, sow the seeds for heritage tourism, and help communities highlight their connections to Baltimore’s history. Applications for grant-funded projects will be accepted through April 1, 2019.

“It is great to see the neighborhoods of Baltimore City get the opportunity to shine as bright as they were intended to be,” said BNHA Heritage Neighborhood Coordinator Imani Haynes, who has shepherded the project from its inception.

Work on the new program began in spring 2017 with an inventory of the historic, cultural, and natural resources in the city’s heritage neighborhoods and an analysis of each community’s visitor readiness and tourism potential. A late 2017 survey asked the public to share what made their neighborhoods special places. Neighborhoods with the most survey responses were awarded micro-grants for improvement projects; the micro-grants (ranging from $250-500) were awarded to Patterson Park, Pigtown, Jonestown, Fell’s Point, and Madison Park.

With the success of the survey and micro-grant awards, BNHA decided to formally expand the program. A $25,000 block grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority will fund the first round of the Neighborhood Placemaking Grant program. The program will provide up to $5,000 of support for projects such as small streetscape improvements, development of community gardens and greenspaces, interpretive signage and wayfinding, community-based planning, festivals, and workshops. BNHA will offer technical assistance to support residents and community groups interested in showcasing their neighborhood’s heritage and history.

“Our historic neighborhoods are essentially the heart of Baltimore — in terms of geography and in terms of our connections to the city’s past and to each other,” said Jeff Buchheit, BNHA’s executive director. “We’re very excited to focus funding on ways to help our neighborhoods share their stories.”

Visit BNHA's grant information webpages for more information about the Neighborhood Placemaking Grant program and to begin the application process.