Nearly $20 million in casino-funded grants is headed toward Anne Arundel County nonprofits, fire departments and schools for Fiscal Year 2027, and County Executive Steuart Pittman is walking residents through exactly where that money will land. Pittman joined Fox45 Morning News on Wednesday to explain the local impact and community grant package, which draws directly from gaming tax revenue generated at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover.
The nearly $20 million total was announced this month by The Cordish Companies, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and the Anne Arundel County Local Development Council, marking the latest round of Fiscal Year 2027 grants, according to The Cordish Companies. Pittman detailed the grants and where the money will go during his appearance on Fox 45 News. Cumulative distributions from the casino's gaming tax revenue have now surpassed $400 million granted across the county since Live! Casino opened in 2012, per the same Cordish announcement.
How the Money Gets to West County
The funding mechanism is written into Maryland law: Anne Arundel County receives 4.51% of total revenues generated by video lottery terminals at Live! Casino, and that money must be spent on infrastructure, public safety, facilities and community services in immediate proximity to the casino, according to Anne Arundel County Government. In practice, that means the grants are concentrated within a three-mile radius of the Hanover casino, and Arundel Community Development Services administers the competitive process for nonprofits in that zone.
Individual community grants awarded through the Local Development Council are capped at $40,000 per organization, per Arundel Community Development Services. A 15-member advisory body, the Local Development Council, is appointed by the County Executive under state law to evaluate community priorities and recommend a spending plan before it's folded into the county budget, the agency notes.
Past Grants Built Fire Engines and Bus Service
Past rounds of LDC funding have paid for tangible projects around West County, including construction of the Severn Center community facility, operations for the BWI County Connector bus, and a new fire engine for the Jessup Volunteer Fire Company station, according to the Cordish announcement. This year's list of recipients includes the National Cryptologic Foundation, which received a $25,000 grant to expand cybersecurity education initiatives for Anne Arundel County Public Schools students, the foundation said in its own release.
A Steady Climb in Annual Totals
The nearly $20 million figure for Fiscal Year 2027 continues a multi-year upward trend. Live! Casino and the Local Development Council distributed over $19 million in grants for Fiscal Year 2026, as reported by Eye On Annapolis. The year before that, Fiscal Year 2025 awards topped $17.5 million and pushed total distributed casino funds past $240 million at the time, according to the Maryland Daily Record.
That steady growth reflects a funding stream tied directly to how much money flows through the casino's video lottery terminals, meaning the total available for grants can shift with gaming activity from year to year. Still, the mechanism has proven durable enough to fund fire equipment, transit service and school programs across three consecutive budget cycles.
What's Next for Local Nonprofits
Organizations hoping to apply for the next round of funding have a defined window ahead. The grant application process reopens annually in early November through Arundel Community Development Services' online portal, with recommended projects then incorporated into the County Executive's annual budget before taking effect July 1, the agency says.
