Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer, with Senator Chris Van Hollen as an original co-sponsor, have introduced federal legislation that would designate the existing Southern Maryland State Heritage Area known as Destination Southern Maryland as a National Heritage Area.
Partners for Open Space is launching a social media campaign to generate statewide support for Maryland’s parks, nature, outdoor spaces, as well as its rural and historic heritage, all with a strong nod toward Maryland’s Program Open Space.
Leading preservation economics firm, PlaceEconomics recently completed an analysis of Baltimore City’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program that supports positive assumptions about the value of the credit, and brings to light new information about the use and benefit of the credit in communities across the city.
The Challenge: In 2018, the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program was funded at $600,000 and the Historic Preservation Non-Capital Research & Survey Grant Program was funded at $300,000. This was some of the first funding these programs have received since 2010. The African-American Heritage Preservation Grant program received level funding at $1 million. Beginning in FY20, the Maryland Historical Society will receive $250,000 to establish a grant fund for small museums all over Maryland.
These programs have been pivotal in preserving and interpreting some of the state’s finest resources. From the Antietam Battlefield to Historic St. Mary’s City to Smith Island – these programs have touched every corner of the state and provided the necessary funding to allow Marylander’s to preserve the places that matter to them. Unfortunately every year, the amount of grant requests for important preservation and history work across the state far outstrips the amount of funding available.
Our Position: Preservation Maryland emphatically supports increasing the state’s investment in these chronically underfunded programs. A state appropriation of $1 million (split between the Capital and Survey & Research,) would continue to spur a renewed interest in the history of this state and create a catalyst for heritage tourism. An increased appropriation of $3 million for the African American Heritage Grant program would help address the discrepancy between grant requests and funding available. We will also be supporting the Maryland Historical Society as they work to establish their statewide museum grant program.