Opportunity Overview
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has opened the 2026 Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credit (CRTC) application round. Applications are due October 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. The program is designed to reduce financial barriers to redeveloping chronically vacant former State- and federally-owned properties and to support preservation, adaptive reuse, housing and community revitalization.
Healthcare and School Relevance
The 2026 program expressly includes qualified former hospitals, mental health facilities, K-12 schools, colleges or universities, as well as former military facilities or installations. The property must be out of service and previously owned by the State or federal government under the program’s ownership rules.
Funding Structure
The CRTC is a refundable Maryland State income-tax credit calculated at 20% of estimated development costs. Applicants may receive a credit of up to 20% of eligible project costs, capped at $15 million per project. Estimated new-construction cost may not exceed 50% of total development costs. Credits may be claimed by phase or after completion, and the credit may be allocated or transferred as permitted by program rules.
Who Can Apply
Any individual, nonprofit organization or business entity proposing to redevelop a qualified property may apply. Organizational applicants must be in good standing, qualified to do business in Maryland and able to enter into an agreement with DHCD. Nonprofits and businesses should be prepared to provide a current Certificate of Good Standing, applicable charitable-registration documentation, a corporate resolution and signatory authority.
Qualified Costs
Verified qualified costs include architectural and engineering work, studies and surveys, site preparation and infrastructure, stabilization and rehabilitation, qualifying new construction, bonds and insurance premiums, fees and permits, and other redevelopment costs DHCD determines acceptable. The credit is intended for property redevelopment rather than clinical equipment procurement.
Competitive Priorities
Applications are reviewed more favorably when they include affordable or workforce housing, maximize reuse of historic buildings, preserve historically significant architecture, create jobs or needed goods and services, and generally strengthen community and economic development. Applicants may be invited to host a property tour and answer questions from the interdepartmental review committee.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 88/100. This is a distinctive Maryland capital and adaptive-reuse opportunity because the qualifying property list specifically includes former hospitals, mental health facilities, schools and higher-education campuses. It may be especially useful to nonprofit and mission-driven developers repositioning obsolete institutional properties into affordable housing or other community-serving uses.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. The verified program is a redevelopment tax-credit mechanism. Atlas does not treat clinical devices, telehealth hardware or remote-exam technology as qualified redevelopment costs without an explicit DHCD determination.
Application Readiness
Prospective applicants should first confirm the property was formerly State- or federally-owned, is out of service and fits one of the qualifying property classes. Applicants should then document legal authority and organizational good standing, build a redevelopment budget that separates rehabilitation from new construction, prepare the historic-preservation and community-impact case, identify any affordable or workforce housing component, and submit the complete application by October 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
Official source: Maryland DHCD — Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credit.