Howard County, Maryland

Howard County, Maryland (doing business as County Administration Dept) is a U.S. local government entity that receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient across community development, housing, public safety, workforce training, and environmental infrastructure programs, with minimal federal contract work. The county operates under its parent entity, Howard County Of Maryland Inc, and competes in full-and-open federal grant programs with no set-aside designations.

Howard County's federal grant footprint spans multiple HUD programs and other agencies. The county acts as prime recipient on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) formula grants under the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) awards for affordable housing rehabilitation and tenant-based rental assistance, and Continuum of Care (CoC) program project grants for homelessness prevention and supportive services. Recent named examples include a $1.8 million Cooperative Agreement from EPA Region 3 (CFDA 66.202, awarded October 2026) to construct a hauled grease acceptance facility at the Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant in Savage, Maryland; a $510,248.82 HOME formula grant (CFDA 14.239, awarded January 2026) supporting owner-occupied housing rehabilitation and homebuyer assistance through September 2034; and a $1.565 million National Park Service Save America's Treasures grant (CFDA 15.929, awarded September 2025) for repair and restoration of historic masonry and wood features at the Howard County Historic Courthouse in Ellicott City. The county also receives smaller formula and project grants from the Department of Energy for energy efficiency and conservation (EECBG program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration for pedestrian safety initiatives (CFDA 20.939), and FEMA for fire and emergency management assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance funds public safety through Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) block grants supporting police saturation patrols and crime prevention equipment.

The top five federal customer agencies by award count account for 78% of Howard County's recent grant portfolio and are dominated by HUD. The Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development leads with 147 awards covering CDBG, HOME, and CoC programming. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance follows with 17 awards (mostly JAG block grants), the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration with 15 awards (workforce innovation and opportunity act/WIOA services), and FEMA with 8 awards. By potential dollar value, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ranks highest among smaller-dollar customers at $775 thousand across 7 awards (two small firm fixed-price contracts awarded October 2024 and October 2025 for FEPA — Federal Employees and Program Associates — administrative services valued at $45,650 and $42,000 respectively). However, HUD's 147 awards carry the bulk of cumulative dollars when multi-year formula and cooperative agreements are included.

Activity has grown materially over the past five years — 12 awards in 2022 to a peak of 28 in 2024 — before moderating to 18 in 2025 and 10 year-to-date in 2026. Nine awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. As a sub-recipient, Howard County receives pass-through funding from state agencies including the Maryland Department of Labor (WIOA Title I adult, dislocated worker, and youth services), Maryland Department of Health (public health workforce expansion), Maryland Department of Emergency Management (emergency management and flood mitigation), and the Executive Office of the State of Maryland (violence prevention mentoring, opioid treatment programs, and special victims unit support). The county also receives sub-awards from the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore for housing assistance for persons living with HIV/AIDS and from the Chesapeake Bay Trust for tree plantings in the Route 1 corridor addressing historic pollution.

Eighty percent of Howard County's 252 recent federal awards are prime grants or contracts; 20% flow through the county as sub-recipient from state grantees or other prime recipients. The county registers in the System for Award Management and has maintained federal registration since 2004. Primary capability centers on community development and affordable housing stewardship (CDBG and HOME administration), emergency management and public safety (JAG, emergency operations center staffing, and equipment procurement), homelessness prevention and supportive services (CoC pass-through), and workforce development (WIOA services delivery to county residents). Place of performance is Ellicott City, Maryland, with service delivery and project implementation across Howard County's geographic footprint and in partnership with municipal departments including the Police Department, State's Attorney's Office, and emergency management agencies.