Baltimore County is getting ready to put its cannabis tax money to work in the neighborhoods that felt the sting of past enforcement the most. At a March 13 event in Woodlawn, County Executive Kathy Klausmeier announced the launch of the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund community grant program, which will direct state cannabis tax revenue into areas disproportionately affected by cannabis charges.
The program will issue grants to community groups, nonprofits, businesses, and county entities to tackle priorities residents have already flagged: homelessness prevention, mental health and substance use services, education and after-school programs, and workforce development. County officials say completed applications are due Wednesday, April 1, 2026, and that an online grant portal will accept submissions and help applicants track deadlines.
Who Can Apply And How
According to Dundalk Eagle, the county's online grant portal lets eligible organizations review program requirements, submit applications electronically, and monitor deadlines and updates in one place. Baltimore County Government lists eligible applicants as community-based organizations, nonprofits, service providers, businesses, and county entities. Grant awards will come from the county's Community Reinvestment and Repair Special Revenue Fund, which was set up to hold state CRRF distributions before they are awarded locally.
State Law And Oversight
The Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund exists because of Maryland's Cannabis Reform Act of 2023, which created the statewide program and put it under the oversight of the Maryland Office of Social Equity. The office is tasked with helping ensure CRRF dollars are targeted where they are most needed.
Under state law, the Comptroller distributes CRRF money to counties based on each jurisdiction's share of cannabis possession charges between July 1, 2002, and Jan. 1, 2023. Counties, in turn, must pass local ordinances that spell out how the funds can be used and what reporting will be required, consistent with state code. FindLaw summarizes those distribution formulas and reporting rules.
Community Priorities
Survey responses summarized by the Maryland Association of Counties' Conduit Street blog show that residents and local leaders across the state largely agree on how CRRF money should be spent. Mental health and substance use services, education and after-school programs, housing and homelessness prevention, and workforce development rose to the top of the list.
Those statewide survey findings fed into Baltimore County's outreach during 2024 and 2025 and helped shape both the county's initial funding priorities and its official list of disproportionately impacted areas. Conduit Street provides a breakdown of the statewide survey results and the overall allocation approach.
How Baltimore County Will Decide
To manage all of this, the Baltimore County Council passed Bill 37-24 in June 2024, creating a Community Reinvestment and Repair Commission and a dedicated special revenue fund. The commission will make advisory recommendations on which projects should get funded, while the Office of Budget and Finance will handle the day-to-day administration of the grant program.
The CRRC is required to deliver funding recommendations and issue biennial public reports that detail how CRRF dollars are being spent, a transparency measure the county says is central to the program. Baltimore County Government outlines the commission's responsibilities and how the fund is governed.
How To Apply And What's Next
Completed application materials must be submitted by Wednesday, April 1. Applicants are urged to be ready with detailed budgets, partnership letters, and clear, measurable outcomes before they hit submit, according to Dundalk Eagle.
County staff will review proposals, and the CRRC will weigh in on which applications best match community-identified needs. Funding will be disbursed after that joint review process is complete.
Why This Matters
The CRRF represents a state-mandated effort to send cannabis tax revenue back into communities that carried a disproportionate share of prohibition-era cannabis enforcement. In plain terms, the money is designed to flow from the state to Baltimore County and then into local programs that address the long-term fallout.
The Maryland Office of Social Equity and the reporting rules written into state law are meant to keep that process honest and visible to the public. Maryland Office of Social Equity materials outline the oversight structure and reporting expectations that counties, including Baltimore, must follow.
