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ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced $50 million in grant awards to support vacant property reduction efforts in Baltimore City through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative. The governor also announced a new Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund, toward which philanthropic partners have contributed more than $1 million for technical assistance to support awardees. Today’s announcements marks an acceleration of the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to addressing the challenge of vacant properties in Baltimore City neighborhoods announced last year through the creation of Reinvest Baltimore.
“For this to be Maryland’s decade, it has to be Baltimore’s time,” said Gov. Moore. “We know that if we want to drive investment and growth in Baltimore City, we need to address its vacant housing crisis. And the future of these properties will be written in coordination with local leaders – because those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. Together, we will build a more vibrant, prosperous, and growing Baltimore for all.”
The State awarded a total of $50 million to help redevelop neighborhoods with a high number of vacant properties. These communities have been prioritized due to their impressive redevelopment potential. The funding has been targeted toward specific recipients with a record of success: $15 million will go to Baltimore City and the Maryland Stadium Authority to demolish, stabilize, and acquire vacant properties for redevelopment; $30 million will go toward 16 community development organizations; and $5 million that will go toward large, mixed-use projects from Fiscal Year 2025 to help carry them into their next phase.
For the full list of awardees, visit the Department of Housing and Community Development’s website.
“Our collective work to end vacants in Baltimore is built on a shared vision of investing in communities that have long been intentionally disinvested in,” said Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Today’s announcement of the latest round of BVRI grants will accelerate our work to deliver on that vision and will propel our efforts to the next level. All of us — the community, the city, our institutional partners in BUILD and GBC, and the state under Governor Moore — have joined together in an unprecedented partnership, which is showing what is possible when we lead with collaboration and commitment to the same shared vision. Baltimore thrives when it receives the investment it deserves, and together we’ll ensure that our neighborhoods see the difference between the history of intentional disinvestment they’ve endured and the vision of the future we’ve laid out through this partnership.”
The governor also announced a new Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund, a partnership to provide additional assistance to community development organizations as they deploy capital funds. Through a partnership with the Maryland Community Investment Corporation, more than $1 million in grants from philanthropic partners have already been approved for the fund.
Organizations including the Goldseker Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Abell Foundation, the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, the Middendorf Foundation, and the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation are supporting the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund.
“Philanthropic partners recognize that capital alone isn’t enough; expert guidance and gap resources are essential to community development organizations’ success,” said Goldseker Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer and Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council Member Matthew D. Gallagher. “The rapid assembly of this fund demonstrates how committed Baltimore funders are to matching the State’s pace and ambition.”
Governor Moore’s announcement comes three months after award applications opened April 2, significantly accelerating the typical timeline of six months. This acceleration is part of a new vacancy reduction strategy through Reinvest Baltimore, established by the governor in an Executive Order in October 2024. Reinvest Baltimore emphasizes speed and scale in vacancy reduction through targeted investments, aiming to move at least 5,000 vacant properties into homeownership or other positive outcomes through Fiscal Year 2029.
“Vacant homes have held back Baltimore’s potential for far too long,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “These awards through the first accelerated round of the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative will help us reinvigorate neighborhoods, attract new development, and build the Baltimore we all believe in—block by block.”
“For too long, historically redlined communities like those I serve in West Baltimore have been denied the investment and opportunity they deserve,” said Baltimore City Councilman James Torrence. “This initiative is about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about restoring dignity, reversing decades of disinvestment, and empowering our neighborhoods to thrive. I’m proud to stand with Governor Moore, Mayor Scott, community and our city and state partners as we work to build a more just, equitable, and vibrant Baltimore, block by block.”
