The Friends of Maryland State Parks Foundation (FOMSPF) recently awarded nineteen grants totaling $31,280 to Maryland State Parks statewide. These funds will enable parks throughout the state to provide resources for projects that engage visitors in conservation, education and recreation, such as, teaching kids how to fish, providing bike repair stands on trails, planting trees, and purchasing kayaks and paddle boards for recreation and outdoor exploration.
Further information on the projects can be found here: 2023 FOMSP Projects.
Sandy Point State Park is included this year for a project that will enhance the Sandy Point Plaza Bathhouse Conservation Landscape Plantings on the plaza near the bathhouse in the South Beach Plaza area.
Launched in 2020, the Small Grants, Big Impact (SGBI)! program of the Friends of Maryland State Parks Foundation is designed to inspire people from all backgrounds to connect with, celebrate, and support Maryland’s State Parks and their community-based programs. “As the Maryland Park Service enters this new decade, our parks are being used more than ever by over 20 million annual visitors,” says Chuck Hecker, Board President, Friends of Maryland State Parks. “It is important for us to give back to keep our parks vital for this and future generations.” Through its Small Grants program, the nonprofit provides $2,000 grants to state parks to help them achieve their mission of excellence, bringing smiles to park rangers and visitors alike. Our major contributors this year were the Live.Give.Run Foundation (Charm City Run), Mary Jean and Oliver Travers Foundation, David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation and over one hundred contributors.
This third round of grants comes after the enactment of the “Great Maryland Outdoors Act of 2022” which will significantly increase the investment into our state parks now and in the future. We can often take for granted that our parks just exist. However, it takes time, energy, and support from the state, volunteers, and partners working together to ensure wise stewardship and enjoyment of Maryland’s State Parks. “It’s a great opportunity for our staff to take on an additional project that supplements projects covered by our annual park funding” commented Meghan Rhode, Assistant Park Manager at Assateague State Park and a grantee for all three years of the FOMSPF SGBI grants program.
