MDOT employees share grant information during the Department’s Grant Roadshow. (MDOT/David Trozzo)
Looking to create safe routes for children to get to and from school? How about funding to improve safety for those who walk, bike and roll? What about reducing stormwater runoff or air, water and climate pollution?
There’s a grant for that!
Cue in the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Grants Roadshow. The Roadshow is an opportunity for local jurisdictions, non‑profits and businesses to learn about transportation‑related grants. These partners also receive practical, in‑person guidance.
Federal and State requirements can be difficult to navigate for local jurisdictions and non-profits who have limited staff and resources. MDOT’s Grants Roadshow provides an opportunity for partners to meet with MDOT staff and explain available funding, answer questions and provide hands-on technical assistance. The in-person and virtual meetings can help accessing funding and navigating requirements easier.
These grant opportunities fund a variety of projects that support MDOT’s priorities. Priorities including the Department’s Serious About Safety Initiative, Complete Streets Policy, Safe Routes to School, the Climate Solutions Now Act’s target of net-zero emissions by 2045 and Maryland’s 5-Million Tree Initiative Goal. By staying closely engaged with our partners, MDOT is better able to deliver safe, reliable, accessible, equitable and sustainable transportation options to Marylanders across the State.
MDOT’s Grants Roadshow travels around the state to share information on grant opportunities. (MDOT/David Thomas)
“When it comes to learning about available State and federal transportation grants, and for keeping up with yearly updates to the grant programs, the MDOT Grant Roadshow is an invaluable resource,” said Tanya Asman, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for Anne Arundel County. Asman recommends attending the Grants Roadshow annually, “Each year there is often either a new grant to hear about, or a change to an existing grant, such as eligibility requirements, potentially available funds, or new initiatives.”
In recent years, MDOT has significantly expanded its Grants Roadshow, offering detailed grant information and one-on-one private technical sessions. The Roadshow has seen growth year after year with our largest attendance ever this year. Earlier this year, more than 150 people attended five in-person events. More than half of attendees, 59%, attended the Roadshow for the first time. MDOT staff also provided more than fifty in-person one-on-one private sessions offering program-specific technical assistance. As a result, MDOT received more than 18 grant applications in the FY 27 grant cycles from project sponsors who attended the Roadshow.
Allison Gost (left) and David Thomas (right) coordinate the MDOT Grants Roadshow. (MDOT/Allison Gost)
MDOT is excited to kick off planning for the Grants Roadshow that will inlcude information for grants in Fiscal Year 2028. The Grants Roadshow is designed to help communities, organizations and partners make the most of upcoming funding opportunities. This year’s Roadshow will feature a Grants Open House this Fall, a hybrid Kick-Off Event in Janaury with optional one-on-one technical assistance sessions, and a series of regional events in early 2027 to help participants prepare for the Fiscal Year 2028 grant application cycles.
This year, we’re making the Roadshow more interactive than ever, with new opportunities to connect, engage, and learn from successful grant-funded projects. For more information on the Grants Roadshow, including upcoming dates and registration information, visit the website here.
Allison Gost is a Program Manager with the Maryland Department of Transportation and David Thomas is a Transportation Planner consulting with the Maryland Department of Transportation who co-lead the annual Grants Roadshow