Port of Baltimore business-recovery grants now available

April 16, 2024

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The Port of Baltimore worker retention program is providing $12.5 million for port businesses to retain employees affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Established by the PORT Act, the program aims to avert layoffs by enabling impacted businesses to retain their workers until the port fully reopens, according to a news release from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

“We must do everything in our power to support the 8,000 port workers whose jobs have been directly affected by the collapse of the Key Bridge – and the thousands more who have been touched by this crisis,” Moore said. “Together, we will continue to ensure that we leave no one behind in our response to the bridge collapse.”

Businesses that employ up to 500, unions, trade associations and organizations whose operations have been affected by limited port operations are eligible for up to $200,000 in grant funding.

To receive this funding, businesses must “demonstrate an effort to the fullest extent practicable to avoid layoffs and maintain their workforce at the same hours, rate of pay and benefits that were in effect before the port’s reduced operations.”

Funds may be used for employee training; supportive services such as subsidized childcare and transportation costs; and payroll expenses as part of the Work Sharing Unemployment Insurance Program.

“It’s my top priority to help our critical Port of Baltimore businesses and their workers get through this difficult time,” Maryland Secretary of Labor Portia Wu said. “The Worker Retention Program will keep port businesses in operation and workers able to earn income and support their families as the U.S. Army Corps and others work to get the shipping channels reopened.”

A tentative schedule released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on April 4 calls for restoring port access to normal capacity by the end of May.

Grant money for the Port of Baltimore worker retention program comes from a mix of federal and state funds.

Apply online or learn more about the program on the Maryland Department of Labor website.

More grant money coming

On Monday, April 22, applications can be submitted for a separate grant program offering up to $100,000 for affected businesses through the Port of Baltimore emergency business assistance program. To receive these grants, businesses must demonstrate economic and financial injury through a reduction in business revenue and activity and/or through increased costs to business operations.

Application acceptance for small-business grants and business-loan programs also opens Monday, April 22.

The small-business program is offering up to $50,000 to small, main-street-level businesses within a 5-mile radius of the Key Bridge, while the business-loan program will provide loans up to $500,000 to businesses impacted by the Key Bridge collapse or reduction in port activity statewide.

Eligibility and requirements for those programs are available online. LL