State Of Maryland Department Of Natural Resources

The State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources, operating as Finance & Admin Services, is a U.S. state government entity that receives federal grants for fisheries management, coastal conservation, forest stewardship, and outdoor recreation infrastructure development across Maryland. The department acts as prime recipient on 98% of its awards, with a recent footprint of 891 total federal grants spanning more than two decades.

Maryland DNR's federal grant activity reflects a deep engagement with natural resource stewardship across multiple federal partners. The department received 62 grants in 2025 and 55 in 2024, with cumulative potential value of $714 thousand and obligated dollars of $1.01 billion across all awards—a pattern reflecting multi-year project lifecycles typical of conservation and infrastructure grants. The top three funding agencies by award count are the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 (194 awards), the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (180 awards), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (119 awards, $380 thousand combined potential value). The department serves 28 distinct federal customer agencies, with concentration in fisheries restoration, forest management, and coastal resilience work.

Recent representative work includes a $2 million NOAA Congressionally Identified Award (CFDA 11.469) to reduce invasive blue catfish biomass in the Chesapeake Bay through commercial and recreational harvest alongside scientific research, running through September 2030 with performance at Cape St. Claire, Maryland. The Forest Service R9-Eastern Region has funded multiple initiatives: a $524,144 Cooperative Forestry Assistance project (CFDA 10.664) supporting forest health and workforce training through June 2031, a $3.26 million award (August 2025) for Forest Stewardship, Urban and Community Forestry, and wildfire capacity programs running through June 2030, and a $6 million Inflation Reduction Act Urban and Community Forestry grant (August 2023) extending to June 2028. NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards program (CFDA 11.419) provided $5.7 million as a Cooperative Agreement (October 2025) to implement Maryland's federally approved coastal management program with an additional $2.6 million in state matching funds, supporting coastal hazard mitigation, water quality improvement, and habitat restoration through September 2027. The National Park Service has awarded multiple Land and Water Conservation Fund grants under the Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning program (CFDA 15.916), including $3 million for Patapsco Valley State Park (October 2025), $6 million for North County Park in Greensboro (October 2024), and $2.75 million for Eastern Baltimore Linear Park (August 2025), all supporting public park development and trail infrastructure with completion dates through 2028.

The department also manages grants focused on fish and wildlife restoration. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration program (CFDA 15.605) awarded $695,645 (January 2026) for George Island Landing boat ramp rehabilitation in Stockton, Maryland, and $4.31 million (October 2025) for Pocomoke River facility renovation in Snow Hill. The State Wildlife Grants program (CFDA 15.634) provides formula funding for wildlife conservation actions—$1.297 million awarded July 2025 for implementation of conservation actions identified in the 2015-2025 State Wildlife Action Plan. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration program (CFDA 15.614) awarded $1.702 million (January 2025) for conservation easements on 1,118.754 acres in Dorchester County to expand coastal resilience.

Sixty awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing a significant recompete pipeline across fisheries management, forest stewardship, coastal conservation, and recreation infrastructure portfolios. The department acts as direct recipient on cooperative agreements, project grants, and formula grants; it also serves as pass-through administrator on Land and Water Conservation Fund awards directed to local governments and counties for park development. Sub-award activity includes partnerships with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the University of Maryland, and the Maryland Department of Emergency Management for specialized conservation, research, and administrative functions. Maryland DNR's federal grant work centers on Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration, invasive species management, forest health in response to climate change, and equitable access to outdoor recreation—activities that reflect alignment with multi-state coastal management initiatives and federal conservation priorities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.