In October 2022, Governor Larry Hogan announced the Maryland Jobs That Build initiative which dedicated $15 million to Maryland employers with current or prospective infrastructure contracts for the benefit of building or supporting sufficient workforce to perform their contracts.
To be eligible, applicant must have a physical address in Maryland and a qualifying project to perform construction or maintenance of infrastructure projects within Maryland.
Infrastructure projects include roads, bridges, tunnels, transit, walking/biking facilities, rail, ports, airports, broadband, energy grids, and drinking/wastewater facilities.
Applicants must attest to having difficulty in hiring and/or retaining employees for construction or maintenance work performed on these projects.
Grant amounts are capped based on the applicant’s total number of full-time employees. The maximum grant amounts are:
- $500,000 for employers with 750+ employees
- $400,000 for employers with 500-749 employees
- $300,000 for employers with fewer than 500 employees.
The maximum benefit per employee is $10,000.
Funds must only be used to support Maryland-based employees, which is defined as employees for whom the employer is required to withhold Maryland State income taxes.
The Fund prioritizes two sets of initiatives that employers can implement, either individually or in combination with one another:
- Employee Support Programs (including programs to support transportation, housing, childcare, or other needs of the employee)
- Payroll Incentives (including signing or retention bonuses, and wages during training, including skills or language training that occurs outside of work hours)
Funds will be awarded on a rolling first-come, first-served basis until exhausted. All funds awarded must be spent by December 1, 2024 or be returned. Grantees will be required to make quarterly reports on the use and effectiveness of grant funds, and should retain all records of how they used the funds for up to four years following the close of the program.
Applicants should be aware that state grants are generally taxable in the year received, while expenses will be deductible in the years incurred.
For more information, see the FAQs and application links in the Maryland Department of Labor’s webpage on this initiative.
