Maryland has awarded nearly $25 million in grants to more than 300 businesses across the state as part of a program designed to fill retail and commercial spaces left vacant in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state announced the list of recipients for its Project Restore grants Tuesday after opening applications in July. This is the second iteration of the program that Gov. Larry Hogan first announced in summer 2021. The first round of grants, announced in late 2021 and early 2022, saw 353 businesses get nearly $24 million in funding. Businesses that got aid the first time around included the new Warehouse Cinemas in the Rotunda development in Hampden, a new outpost for Ekiben and the revival of Werner’s restaurant downtown.
The latest round saw grants awarded to 376 recipients. Businesses looking to take over empty space in Baltimore City once again got the most grants of any county, with a total of 104 for $7.46 million. That was followed by Prince George’s County with 37 grants for $2.57 million and Anne Arundel County with 30 grants for $1.81 million.
