Maryland Trust Withholds Names of $5M Grant Winners | The Locally Times
The Maryland Historical Trust claims it awarded $5 million in public grants on March 19, but public records contain no list of the recipients or projects.
The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has allocated $5 million in African American Heritage Preservation Grants, but the identities of the award recipients remain concealed from public view. According to a series of disjointed announcements posted on March 19, 2026, the MHT both declared the grant funding and stated that the awardees for fiscal year 2026 had been chosen. However, a comprehensive review of the Trust’s public records and online postings fails to produce a list of the specific organizations, projects, or individuals receiving a share of the $5 million fund. This follows a previous report by The Locally Times which detailed conflicting information in state records regarding the grant program's timeline and application process. The MHT, the state agency responsible for preserving Maryland’s historical and cultural resources, has publicly celebrated the grant program while failing to provide the most fundamental information: who is receiving the public’s money and for what purpose. ## A Buried Announcement The trail of information regarding the $5 million grant program is fragmented. One announcement from the Maryland Historical Trust on March 19, 2026, came in a press release announcing the availability of the African American Heritage Preservation Grants. But the most perplexing piece of information appeared the same day, buried within a list of miscellaneous updates on a state job posting page for an Assistant State Underwater Archaeologist. This list of agency news included a line item stating that the FY2026 African American Heritage Preservation Program awardees had been announced. Despite this declaration, no list of awardees, document, or link was attached. The announcement of the winners was presented as a completed action, yet the winners themselves were not named. The same list also included notices for a board meeting, the opening of a different grant round, a link to a newsletter, a blog post, and K-12 lesson plans. The crucial information about the $5 million in grants was not given a dedicated, clear announcement but was instead obscured among routine administrative updates. This method of disclosure makes it nearly impossible for the public to track the allocation of the $5 million fund. Standard practice for government grant programs involves a formal announcement that includes a complete list of recipients, the amount each received, and a brief description of the funded project. The MHT’s approach falls far short of this baseline for transparency. ## Missing Meeting Minutes The failure to publish a list of awardees is part of a broader pattern of missing documentation. Public records show the Maryland Historical Trust Board of Trustees scheduled a meeting for March 19, 2026—the same day the vague announcements appeared. Board meetings are typically where final grant-making decisions are ratified. However, the minutes, decisions, or any supporting materials from that meeting are not available in the public record, leaving a critical gap in the decision-making trail. Without these documents, it is unknown if the board discussed the awards, what criteria were used in the final selection, or if a vote was taken. Further investigation into the MHT’s public calendar reveals other potential avenues for oversight that yield no information. The agenda for the Governor's Consulting Committee Meeting on February 24, 2026, was posted publicly, but it contains no specific mention of the African American Heritage Preservation Grants or a review of its potential awardees. The criteria used by the MHT to select recipients are also not detailed in any of the available records. A $5 million state program is thus operating with minimal public scrutiny, where both the selection process and its outcomes are shielded from view. ## Accountability in Question The African American Heritage Preservation Program is designed to support the preservation of sites and stories vital to the state’s history. The $5 million in grants represents a public investment in correcting historical oversights and protecting irreplaceable cultural assets. However, the lack of transparency undermines the program’s stated goals. Communities and preservation groups across Maryland have no way of knowing which projects were deemed worthy of funding or if the distribution of funds was equitable and aligned with the program’s mission. This opacity prevents public oversight and denies both successful and unsuccessful applicants the ability to understand the agency's decision-making. It raises fundamental questions about accountability. Who is responsible for ensuring this information is made public? What is the MHT’s official process for disclosing the beneficiaries of its grant programs? The available records provide no answers. As of this report, the list of organizations receiving the $5 million remains unknown. The public is left only with the MHT’s assertion that awardees have been selected. For the preservation groups, community centers, and historical societies that depend on these funds, and for the taxpayers who provide them, that is not enough. The Locally Times will continue to monitor the MHT’s public disclosures and report on any release of the board minutes from the March 19 meeting or the list of grant recipients.