Opportunity Overview
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has closed the application window for the FY27 Maryland Affordable Housing Trust (MAHT) Round 53 Grant Program. Atlas retains this verified cycle as archived intelligence for award tracking and successor-round planning. The program supports affordable housing projects and related activities that improve quality of life for Maryland households with incomes below 50% of area median income or statewide median income, with preference for households below 30% of median.
Funding
The MAHT Board has allocated $5.5 million for SFY27. The maximum award is $150,000, and organizations applying for MAHT funds must include at least a 10% organizational contribution or match, which may include leverage from other sources. Project-specific capacity building, operating expenses, and supportive services are generally made as grants. Pre-development funding is generally repayable after permanent financing closes, while capital funding may be structured as deferred-payment loans or recoverable grants.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include nonprofit community-based organizations, public housing authorities, county and local governments, and nonprofit or for-profit affordable housing developers.
Eligible Uses
Eligible uses include capital costs for affordable rental or ownership housing, project-specific nonprofit developer capacity building, operating expenses of affordable housing developments, and self-sufficiency or supportive services for occupants of affordable housing developments. The guidelines specifically identify job-skills training, job-search assistance, budget counseling, substance abuse/addiction counseling, mental health care, child care, and other supportive services related to daily living. Direct rental assistance and general organizational personal property such as office furniture or equipment are ineligible.
Competitive Priorities
Projects are more competitive when they serve households below 30% of median income, provide housing for families with minor children or single adults in SRO units, demonstrate readiness and feasibility, preserve long-term affordability, document local need, leverage other funding, and provide self-sufficiency services. MAHT also seeks broad geographic distribution across urban and rural Maryland.
Submission Requirements
The Chief Executive Officer, President, or Executive Director must sign the application form; DocuSign electronic signatures are acceptable, but unsigned packages will not be accepted. A complete package must include the MAHT Application Form, the MAHT Budget and Budget Narrative in Excel, and supplemental information and attachments in PDF, including required MAHT legal documents. Each project requires its own application package.
Threshold items include the applicant’s statement of its at-least-10% contribution/match commitment, a current 2026 Certificate of Good Standing where applicable, current 2026 charity registration status for nonprofit applicants, and a current 2026 W-9 whose address and EIN match federal vendor registration. Packages missing required elements or not submitted in the required manner will not be considered.
Deadline
The FY27 Round 53 application window closed September 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Atlas retains the verified submission mechanics for successor-cycle planning: complete packages were submitted electronically by email to MAHT.DHCD@maryland.gov, and the guidelines permitted file-sharing platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer. No application fee was required. Do not submit a late application unless Maryland DHCD formally reopens or extends the competition.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 88/100 retained as archived-cycle fit. FY27 Round 53 was a strong Maryland social-determinants-of-health pathway because the program expressly allowed mental health care, substance-use counseling, and other resident supportive services within affordable housing projects, while also supporting housing stability itself. The $5.5 million pool and $150,000 project ceiling created meaningful but competitive capacity, but the September 10, 2026 application window is now closed.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. The verified program rules do not establish connected clinical equipment as an eligible direct purchase, and general organization personal property is ineligible.
QC Healthcare Fit: 18/100 conditional. Mental health care and substance-use counseling are expressly eligible supportive services, but Atlas does not assume broader medical or telehealth service contracts are reimbursable without project-specific confirmation from MAHT.
Next Action
The FY27 Round 53 deadline has passed. Do not submit a late package unless Maryland DHCD formally reopens or extends the competition. Organizations planning for a successor MAHT cycle should preserve the verified beneficiary-income, 10% contribution/match, standing/registration/W-9, executive-signature, Excel budget, and supplemental/legal attachment requirements as readiness intelligence, then re-verify every requirement against the next controlling notice before applying. Monitor the official MAHT program page for award announcements and the next funding round.
Official program page: Maryland DHCD — Maryland Affordable Housing Trust Grant Program.
FY27 Round 53 Program Guidelines: Maryland DHCD — Round 53 Program Guidelines.