Maryland Awards $50M in Grants to Tackle Baltimore’s Vacant Housing Crisis

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — Governor Wes Moore announced a sweeping $50 million grant initiative aimed at tackling Baltimore’s long-standing vacant property crisis. The new funding targets redevelopment, demolition, and stabilization projects across some of the city’s most disinvested communities.

Governor Moore: “It Has To Be Baltimore’s Time”

Governor Moore emphasized the importance of addressing the city’s vacant housing issue as essential to Maryland’s broader growth.

“For this to be Maryland’s decade, it has to be Baltimore’s time,” Moore said. “We know that if we want to drive investment and growth in Baltimore City, we need to address its vacant housing crisis.”

The initiative is part of the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative (BVRI), designed to funnel resources into neighborhoods where the concentration of vacant homes is most severe.

Where the Money Is Going

The breakdown of the $50 million in funding includes:

$15 million to Baltimore City and the Maryland Stadium Authority for property demolition, stabilization, and acquisitions
$30 million to 16 community development organizations to support localized redevelopment
$5 million toward large-scale mixed-use projects to help transition them into the next development phase

According to CBS News Baltimore, the grants are expected to accelerate redevelopment efforts in the areas hit hardest by blight and long-term disinvestment.

13,000 Vacant Homes, $3 Billion Vision

Baltimore currently has an estimated 13,000 vacant homes, many of them concentrated in historically underserved areas. The city plans to reduce that number to “functional zero” over the next 15 years, a massive undertaking projected to cost $3 billion.

Mayor Brandon Scott praised the state-level support, calling it “a shared vision of investing in communities that have long been intentionally disinvested in.” The grants, he said, will “accelerate our work and propel our efforts to the next level.”

Support Fund and Private Partnerships

A separate Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund has also been launched, backed by more than $1 million from philanthropic partners. The support fund aims to provide extra capital and technical guidance to community development groups across the city.

Matthew D. Gallagher, a member of the reinvestment council, said the fund shows how aligned the city’s philanthropic and public sectors are in addressing the crisis. “Capital alone isn’t enough,” he added, highlighting the need for ongoing technical assistance.

Baltimore’s Broader Redevelopment Timeline

The state and city have been layering resources into this initiative for the past year:

In October 2024, Governor Moore signed an executive order establishing the Reinvest Baltimore program
In late 2024, Moore committed an additional $50.8 million to speed up the rehab process
In June 2024, JPMorgan Chase committed $8.5 million, with $6 million going directly to nonprofits
The Baltimore City Council approved legislation tripling property taxes on vacant homes starting 2026, with higher penalties for inaction
In March 2025, Mayor Scott introduced a new streamlined permitting plan and appointed a Director of Permitting and Development Services

With combined local, state, private, and philanthropic efforts now aligned, leaders say Baltimore may finally be on the path toward meaningful housing recovery.

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