Maryland has awarded nearly $25 million in grants to more than 300 businesses across the state as part of a program designed to fill retail and commercial spaces left vacant in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Applications for the state’s Project Restore grants opened back in July, and the 376 second-round recipients were announced on Wednesday. In all, the state said 301 of the grants went to what it termed “minority-owned businesses,” with 206 of the 301 grants going to women-owned businesses. An additional 20 grants went to veteran-owned businesses. More than 120 of the vacant properties that businesses are looking to occupy are located in Opportunity Zones while 48 are in the state’s designated Main Street Maryland districts.
The majority of the grants will be used for office (119) and retail (110) purposes. Other uses include restaurants (61) and manufacturing and industrial spaces (41). The remaining 44 grants include uses such as event space, breweries, salons and indoor recreation spaces.
