Beach to Bay Heritage Area Mini Grants 

In order to promote heritage tourism and community involvement, BBHA hosts a Mini Grant program to provide funding for significant local projects. Applicants may apply for small, non-capital project grant funding directly from BBHA. Grant projects reflect the cultural heritage of the Beach to Bay Heritage Area.
 
Applications are selected for funding by a grant review committee.  The committee evaluates applications based on a project’s plan to address or complete a priority activity identified in and consistent with the goals, objectives, strategies and actions outlined in the approved MHAA Certified Management Plan.  
You can download the Strategic Plan by clicking on the file link below.

FY27 Mini-Grant Applications are Available:

Submissions Open:  Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Deadline to Submit: Monday, June 1, 2026
Submission can be made via email to [email protected].  Any required documentation can be included as an attachment.
​If you prefer, a hard copy can be mailed to: Beach to Bay Heritage Area, 14 S Main St. Berlin, MD 21811.
Notification of grant awards will be announced in July 2026

Previous Grant Recipients

Click below to see mini grant recipients and projects from past years!

8 Organizations Awarded $25,000 in Mini-Grant Funding for FY26

The Beach to Bay Heritage Area is pleased to announce the FY26 mini-grant recipients! Eight organizations were awarded funding this round. 
Those awarded funding this round are:
  • Crisfield Arts & Entertainment will be creating two different brochures that capture both the history and community spirit of the the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment district. One brochure will showcase their seven oyster can planters, giving tribute to the artists, showing their locations, and a description of the plants in each of them. The other brochure will serve as a guide to the district, highlighting art galleries, scenic bike trails, murals, art displays, the Tawes Museum, and historic landmarks. Both of these will help attract and guide tourists to our beautiful City of Crisfield.
  • Preservation Trust of Wicomico was awarded funding for the creation of new historic markers in Salisbury to help uncover and recognize sites of significance to the area's history. Their Frederick Douglass marker, unveiled in October of 2024, served as a pilot for this project. 
  • The Delmarva Discovery Museum received funding for the creation of signage and displays for a series of rotating exhibits. These rotating exhibits will help encourage repeat and new visitors to the museum, keeping the experience fresh. Exhibits will highlight various aspects of our community's history and heritage.
  • The Art League of Ocean City will be organizing an initiative to celebrate the rich cultural traditions, stories, and artisanal crafts that are deeply rooted in Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore. By engaging regional artists, craftspeople, and the community, the Art League of Ocean City will be helping promote and preserve the cultural heritage that makes the Lower Eastern Shore unique. 
  • The Ballet on the Beach Dance Festival will be producing a free outdoor festival on Assateague Island. The main performance features dances inspired by the island's natural assets with the goal of highlighting the island's beauty, fragility, the ocean, and nearby coastal bays. Other activities will also be part of the festivities, including eco talks, an area for partner organizations to interact with the public.
  • Rackliffe House Trust is going to be enhancing the visitor experience at the Ann Showell Mariner Colonial Garden by partnering with the Assateague Tribe. Through this collaboration, interpretive material will be created that highlights the Assateague Tribe's deep connection to the land as well as the cultural significance of the garden. 
  • Owl's Nest Learning Hub was awarded funding for a youth program centered on the Pocomoke River and Shad Landing. Participants will engage in various activities that nurture environmental stewardship practices. The overall goal is that children and their families will leave with a greater sense of environmental awareness and desire for community engagement. 
  • The Museum of Eastern Shore Culture at Salisbury University is celebrating Ocean City's Ocean Bowl through exhibits and art. Considered the oldest municipal skate park in the world, the Ocean Bowl has spawned a vibrant skating culture and served as an example for future parks. The current exhibit has proved to be widely popular and has captured the park's 49 year history through the collection of oral histories, photographs, newspaper clippings, antique decks, and interpretive material.

6 Organizations Awarded $25,000 in Mini-Grant Funding for FY25

​The Beach to Bay Heritage Area is pleased to announce the newest round of mini-grant recipients. Six organizations were awarded funding from a competitive pool of applicants.
  • Crisfield Arts and Entertainment District will receive funds to create oyster can planters. Local artists will design and paint large planters depicting traditional looking oyster cans which will be located throughout the downtown.
  • MD Coastal Bays is creating a boardwalk exhibit to further engage visitors through the use of multimedia techniques to spark visitor’s interest in the coastal bays watershed. MCBP will also create a virtual online tour for those that can’t visit the boardwalk location. 
  • Worcester County Tourism and Economic Development will be producing and printing a Pocomoke River Guide. This interpretive brochure will highlight the Pocomoke River and showcase the river's rich history, landscapes, and routes for exploration. The guide aims to educate the public about the river's ecological significance, both the natural and built environment.
  • Ocean City Museum Society received funding to create a video documentary of the 1910 Bank Building Restoration Project. The project will result in a professional video documentary about the restoration of a 1910 former bank building located in downtown Ocean City. The goal of this documentary is multi-faceted: it aims to share the building's history and significance, as well as highlight the organizations and community partners that provided funding for the restoration.
  • The Community Players of Salisbury will be producing a new performance- World War II, Honoring the Men and Women of the Eastern Shore. In this production, the men and women from the eastern shore who served during World War II will be remembered and honored through their stories.
  • The Delmarva Discovery Museum will be enhancing the steamship exhibit by adding new signage and artifacts to showcase how vital the steamship industry was to the area. In addition, a section of the exhibit will be dedicated to local shipbuilder E. James Tull and his history as a shipbuilder in Pocomoke. 
​The Beach to Bay Heritage Area is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, preserve and protect the cultural heritage, historical linkages and natural assets of Maryland’s lower eastern shore. Funding is received through the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. For more information about the Beach to Bay Heritage Area, visit beachesbayswaterways.org 

9 Organizations Awarded $25,000 in Mini-Grant Funding for FY24

Beach to Bay Awards $25,000 in Mini-grants 
​The BBHA is proud to announce the award recipients of $25,000 in mini-grant funding. The organizations include:
Art League of Ocean City, Beach to Bay Heritage Exhibit
Community Players of Salisbury, Performance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the UGRR of the Eastern Shore
Delmarva Discovery Center, Enhanced Steamship Exhibit
MD Coastal Bays Program, Community Science and Volunteer Supplies
Pemberton Hall Foundation, Entrance Sign to the Park
Rackliffe House Trust, Colonial Harvest Festival
Sturgis One Room School Museum, Signage and Interpretive Brochure
Tawes Museum, Crisfield Heritage Festival
Whitehaven, Whitehaven Village Signage

5 Organizations awarded $15,000 in mini-grant funding for FY23


Berlin Heritage Foundation      New Exhibit- Our Woven Stories: Historic Textiles and Clothing 
Delmarva Discovery Museum  Expansion of the Delmarva Heritage Festival
Furnace Town                                    Develop new audio guides and signage
Rackliffe House                                New Rackliffe House Signage
Wicomico County Tourism         Add new split rail fencing to Pirate's Wharf

Mini-Grants Awarded to Six Organizations for FY22


Nearly $12,000 in mini-grants was awarded to six organizations within the heritage area: Berlin Heritage Foundation, Crisfield Heritage Foundation, Delmarva Discovery Museum, The Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Somerset County Historical Trust, and Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art. Projects range from new exhibits and oral histories to a sustainable seafood guide and events. These projects and programs leverage a total of nearly $49,000 in funding. Read more.

Eight organizations receive mini grants in FY21​

The Beach to Bay Heritage Area has awarded mini grants to eight local heritage tourism organizations to help them expand and improve the visitor experience. Here are the organizations and the planned projects.
  • Delmarva Discovery Museum: Template for interpretive signage to be used throughout the museum. Signage for existing touch tank and new seahorse and oyster reef tank exhibits. 
  • Parsons Cemetery: Signage to better help visitors explore Salisbury's largest history cemetery. 
  • Wicomico County Recreation & Parks: New event, A Pemberton Christmas, set for December 12. 
  • Julia A. Purnell Museum: New exhibit, "Epidemic, A Local History of Medical Crisis," focusing on the history of historic medical epidemics through the lens of local experience. 
  • All Hallows Episcopal Church: Historic structure report to evaluate the building’s condition in order to prioritize restoration needs. Historical interpretation and expanded use by the public.
  • Green Hill Church: Preservation plan to guide and prioritize phases of restoration of the 1733 structure as well as to address activities to broaden public participation.
  • Westside Historical Society, Inc.New signage, awning, and kiosk with information for the Westside Heritage Museum.
  • Berlin Heritage Foundation: Archive of local oral histories through audio and video recordings of people’s stories related to their life and experiences living in Berlin. 
For details on these organizations and their plans for the mini grants, see the full story. 
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Contact Us:
 14 South Main Street
Berlin, MD 21811
410-251-3163

[email protected]

Beach to Bay Heritage Area Mission

Our mission is to promote, preserve and protect the cultural heritage, historical linkages and natural assets of Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore.

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Funded in part by the Rural Maryland Council