A Baltimore homebuying incentive program is making a comeback.
The “Buy Back the Block” grant program relaunched on Monday to provide financial assistance to homebuyers in Baltimore City.
Eligible applicants can receive a $15,000 grant toward their home purchase or a $20,000 grant for their home purchase and renovations. Best of all: the grants do not need to be repaid.
Grants are available to residents who have lived for at least 12 months within a grant-eligible Baltimore City area where they will be purchasing a home.
Live Baltimore administers the program, which is funded by an award from the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and a grant from the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs.
Since the Buy Back the Block program first launched in March 2023, Live Baltimore has awarded 117 grants worth a total of $1.59 million, according to Live Baltimore’s Buy Back the Block 2025 Impact Report.
“I’m so proud of the way we used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to help 117 Baltimoreans buy a home in Baltimore City,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott, in a statement. “Restarting Buy Back the Block means more folks will be able to create and build wealth for themselves and their families here in Charm City. That’s life changing—for the residents who will directly benefit from this program, and all those who will indirectly benefit from the historic growth we’re witnessing right now.”
Home sales to grant awardees have totaled $23.9 million across 57 neighborhoods. The program has generated about $1.08 million in single-year Baltimore City tax revenue, according to the impact report.
“The numbers in this report tell one story — but the lives changed tell another. We have heard clearly from residents that Buy Back the Block is making a real difference,” said Live Baltimore Executive Director Meghan McCorkell, in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to the Mayor, City Council, and the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs for helping ensure that more Baltimoreans can access this life-changing opportunity.”
In addition to living and purchasing within a grant-eligible area, applicants must earn a homeownership counseling certificate from a City-approved counseling agency prior to making an offer on their home; work with a program-approved mortgage lender; not currently own real estate; put at least $1,000 of their own money toward the home purchase; and have a gross household income that does not exceed $140,760 or 120% of the area median income, whichever is greater.
“Homeownership is foundational to strong, stable neighborhoods,” Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said in a statement. “Buy Back the Block empowers Baltimore residents to invest in their future and stay in the communities they love. By helping longtime residents become homeowners, we’re not just preventing displacement. We’re building generational wealth and keeping Baltimore’s blocks vibrant for years to come.”
To apply for a Buy Back the Block grant or to learn more about the program, residents should visit Live Baltimore’s website.
