BNHA News

Organizations Within the Baltimore National Heritage Area To Receive Over $500K

July 17, 2023

Organizations Within the Baltimore National Heritage Area To Receive Over $500K

Federal Grant Funding Matched by Maryland Dollars To Bolster Heritage Tourism Efforts in Baltimore

Baltimore, MD (July 14, 2023) — Today, the Baltimore National Heritage Areas (BNHA) announced this year’s grant recipients for the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) and the Heritage Investment Grant Fund (HIG), supported by the National Park Service. Both grant programs preserve and promote heritage tourism projects and activities that attract visitors, expand economic development, and create tourism-related jobs throughout Maryland.

Organizations receiving grant awards include museums, parks, historic sites, educational organizations, and other entities that steward and celebrate the unique cultural and natural resources located within the Baltimore National Heritage Area.

The Heritage Investment Grant program provides "small but strategic" grants to fund various programs and activities that advance heritage tourism within Baltimore. For the Fiscal Year 2024 grant cycle, a total of $250,235 was awarded to qualified nonprofits for projects, operational support, and marketing projects.

A grants review committee selected awardees.

“The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, funded by the state and Heritage Investment Grants programs, demonstrates the importance of Baltimore's cultural and heritage resources,” said Shauntee Daniels, executive director of BNHA. “These projects bring the history of Baltimore to the forefront for everyone to learn and enjoy. We do our best to advocate for all projects. While we wish all projects could be funded, we all know there is never enough.”

The eight MHAA recipient organizations, projects, and funding amounts include:

Organization

Funded Project

Award Amount

Baltimore Heritage Area Association, Inc.

FY24 Management Grant

$100,000

Baltimore Heritage Area Association, Inc.

FY24 Block Grant

$25,000

Baltimore Heritage Area Association, Inc.

Walking on the Wild Side! New Walking Tour Mobile Apps for Baltimore's Historic Neighborhoods

$35,000

Baltimore Heritage, Incorporated

Bmore Bus Tours: Showcasing Baltimore’s Heritage by Bus

$10,000

Friends of Herring Run Parks, Inc.

A Place with A Past: Herring Run Heritage Trail

$40,000

Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Inc

UAL Repository: Stories and Research to Better the Heritage Record

$30,000

The Peale Center For Baltimore History And Architecture, Inc.

Peale Apprenticeships: Diversifying the Preservation Trades and Cultural Workforce

$25,000

University of Maryland

National Museum of Dentistry - Baltimore: The Birthplace of the Dental Profession Exhibit & Interactive

$24,885.26

The 15 HIG recipient organizations, projects, and funding amounts include:

Organization

Funded Project

Award Amount

Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance

Heritage Stories & Digital Repository Project

$20,000

Mount Clare Museum /NSCDA-MD

Reinterpretation Project

$20,000

Pride of Baltimore, Inc.

Youth Sails

$20,000

Baltimore Architecture Foundation

Doors Open Baltimore 2024

$20,000

The Peale Center

Critical Operating Support

$20,000

Sankofa Children's Museum of African Cultures

Critical Operating Support

$20,000

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, Inc.

Conservation & Care (Public Archival Project: Veronica Tyler)

$20,000

CityLit Project

CityLit Festivals and Events

$20,000

Mount Vernon Place Conservancy/MD Planning Committee for American Friends of Lafayette

Bicentennial Celebration of Marquis de Lafayette

$20,000

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, Inc.

Oral History Association - Heritage Tours for National Conference

$9,745

Pigtown Main Street, Inc.

Pigtown Past Shapes Pigtown's Future History Project

$12,440

Port Discovery/Baltimore Children's Museum, Inc.

25th Anniversary Celebration (Marketing Project)

$12,650

The Committee of The Presbyterian Church in the City of Baltimore (First & Franklin Church)

LGBTQ Places: Nomination to National Register of Historic Places

$20,000

Baltimore Concert Opera

Capacity Building

$10,000

Southeast Community Development Corporation

The Crown Guided Studio Series

$5,400

“With over $1.2 awards disbursed since its inception in 2014, the Heritage Investment Grant program has helped nonprofits tell authentic stories of Baltimore by funding many non-capital projects within the heritage area ranging from interpretation and exhibitions to the visitor experience and walking tours,” said Danielle Walter-Davis, BNHA’s grants portfolio manager. “What is so remarkable about our different grant programs is that they all shed light on hidden gems, bring partners and resources together, and give a voice to Baltimore’s deep heritage and culture.”

According to MHAA, the Maryland Heritage Areas Program provides $2.4 billion in annual economic impact. Maryland Heritage Areas Authority grants generate $319.8 million in state and local taxes and support 33,815 full- and part-time jobs annually.