Maryland Department of Labor’s New Start Grant Program Seeks Proposals to Provide Entrepreneurship Training for Justice-Involved Marylanders
BALTIMORE, MD (January 6, 2025) – The Maryland Department of Labor today announced that it is accepting proposals from organizations to provide entrepreneurship development opportunities for current and formerly incarcerated individuals through the New Start Grant Program. Eligible organizations for this competitive grant will propose high-impact ways to connect justice-involved Marylanders to meaningful entrepreneurship training and small business financing.
Proposals are due by Friday, April 4, 2025, and awards will be made in May 2025.
“Entrepreneurship is a crucial driver that enables justice-involved individuals to build financial stability for themselves and their families. It also creates new jobs and stimulates economic growth,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu. “This initiative exemplifies Labor’s unwavering commitment to helping every Marylander have the opportunity to succeed, and ensuring our state can benefit from everyone’s skills and talents.”
Grant awards are capped at $60,000 per participating organization and are expected to last one year, with an option to renew annually. Eligible organizations must demonstrate their ability to implement a nationally recognized entrepreneurship training model, host a business plan pitch competition, and provide executive mentoring to program participants.
A pre-proposal conference will be held virtually on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
For more information about the New Start Grant Program and to access the link to the solicitation and application materials, please visit: https://labor.maryland.gov/employment/newstart/.
The Maryland Department of Labor strives to create an equitable and inclusive Maryland where all residents have the opportunities and resources to attain financial stability, reach their career potential, and contribute to their communities; where businesses have access to capital and the skilled workforce they need to succeed; where workplaces are safe and well-regulated; and where the economy is resilient and growing. For updates and information, follow Labor on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and visit our website.
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