​MDEM and its partners can connect Marylanders with funding from a variety of sources, depending on their specific situation, needs, and goals. The most common are:

Grants -This is money that does not have to be paid back.

Grant programs are typically designed to provide applicants with funding to perform some task (e.g., flood risk reduction, enhancing cybersecurity) that's important to the grantor. The money doesn't have to be repaid, but is in limited supply, so these programs are typically competitive - you'll likely need to submit a competitive application, and if you win, follow specific rules on how the money is used.

Loans -This is money that must eventually be paid back.

The loan programs MDEM works with tend to be similar to loans you might take out in your daily life: A sum of money is provided to help fund a project that would have been otherwise out of reach, and must be paid back in installments over time, often with interest. Many of our emergency management-related loan programs come with special benefits (e.g., government backing, lower-than-normal interest rates) to help make them accessible and afforable for communities who need help getting a project off the ground.

Emergency Assistance -This money is only available after a disaster of significant scale.

Certain programs, like FEMA's Public Asssistance and Individual Assistance, make their funds available only after a large-scale emergency has happened, enough damage has occurred, or a Presidential disaster declaration is issued. These tend to be focused on providing money and/or other resources to help disaster survivors get back on their feet, but who's eligible, what the benefits are, what the process to apply is, and other details are unique to each program.