About this project
Why we built Maryland Aid
The state spends billions of dollars a year helping Marylanders pay for food, rent, energy, child care, college, doctors’ visits, and more. Most people who could use that help never find it because the system is spread across 16 different agencies, each with its own website, application, and rules.
Mission
Make Maryland’s state aid navigable in one place — what each program does, who runs it, who qualifies, and where to apply — without anyone needing to know the difference between MDH, DHS, DHCD, and SDAT.
What’s in here
76 programs across 16 Maryland state agencies, each tagged by the kind of help it offers (cash, food, housing, energy, health, education, tax credit, childcare, workforce, disability, senior, veteran, legal).
Where the program has an online application, the “Apply” link goes straight there. Where it doesn’t, the “Program details” link goes to the agency’s official page so you can find the local office.
Data sources
Every entry links back to a Maryland or federal .gov source. The canonical agencies in the catalog:
- DHS — Maryland Department of Human Services (dhs.maryland.gov)
- MDH — Maryland Department of Health (health.maryland.gov)
- MHBE — Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (www.marylandhbe.com)
- DHCD — Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (dhcd.maryland.gov)
- Labor — Maryland Department of Labor (www.labor.maryland.gov)
- MSDE — Maryland State Department of Education (marylandpublicschools.org)
- MHEC — Maryland Higher Education Commission (mhec.maryland.gov)
- Aging — Maryland Department of Aging (aging.maryland.gov)
- Veterans — Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families (veterans.maryland.gov)
- Disabilities — Maryland Department of Disabilities (mdod.maryland.gov)
- Comptroller — Comptroller of Maryland (marylandtaxes.gov)
- SDAT — State Department of Assessments & Taxation (dat.maryland.gov)
- MEA — Maryland Energy Administration (energy.maryland.gov)
- MTA — Maryland Transit Administration (mta.maryland.gov)
- MLSC — Maryland Legal Services Corporation (www.mlsc.org)
- MIA — Maryland Insurance Administration (insurance.maryland.gov)
Caveats
Reference, not legal advice. Eligibility rules, dollar amounts, and program names change every legislative session. Always confirm specifics with the agency before relying on them.
State-administered, including federal money.A lot of the aid here is federally funded (SNAP, LIHEAP, Medicaid, ESG, HOME, CDBG, WIOA, ACA subsidies) but Maryland runs the application. We’ve listed it where you’d actually go to apply.
Local layer matters. Most county-level help is delivered by county Departments of Social Services (DHS), Area Agencies on Aging (Aging), Local Health Departments (MDH), and local Public Housing Authorities. Eligibility waiting lists, and office hours vary by county.
Key people / stakeholders
Maryland Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Labor, State Department of Education, Higher Education Commission, Department of Aging, Department of Veterans & Military Families, Department of Disabilities, the Comptroller, State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Maryland Energy Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Maryland Legal Services Corporation, Maryland Insurance Administration — and the county-level offices that actually deliver most of this on the ground.