Maryland spent over $800 million on nonprofit grants in fiscal year 2025

The state of Maryland allocated over $800 million in grants and loans of $50,000 or more to nonprofit organizations during the fiscal year 2025, according to data reported by FOX45 Baltimore and foxbaltimore.com.

Approximately 1,300 grants make up the majority of these funds, supporting a range of initiatives such as housing assistance, education, business development, and health care across the state.

Behavioral Health System Baltimore received the largest single grant of $72 million, highlighting the focus on behavioral health services within the Baltimore area.

Experts emphasize the importance of measuring outcomes rather than just outputs to ensure the state is getting results from its spending. Chris Sharp, chief of staff for the Cicero Institute, noted the need for clear goals tied to the populations served by these nonprofits.

The Maryland Transparency Portal has begun identifying nonprofit organizations in its data downloads starting with fiscal year 2025, improving public access to information about state grant allocations.

Spotlight on Maryland and The Baltimore Sun have been investigating the state's nonprofit funding for over a year, noting some discrepancies in nonprofit status identification among grant recipients.