Maryland’s Division of Just Communities Selected for Prestigious Rural and Small Cities Program

Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division of Just Communities has been chosen to participate in the Public Finance Initiative’s (PFI) Rural and Small Cities Program. This competitive initiative, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aims to assist governmental and quasi-governmental organizations in identifying place-based challenges, exploring financing options for investments, and developing practical plans to achieve their objectives through specialized technical assistance and capacity-building workshops. The program will provide crucial support to the Division of Just Communities as it works to advance innovative, people-centered investment strategies within Maryland’s rural areas and smaller cities.

The Division of Just Communities will benefit from targeted capacity building to collaboratively establish a unified, People-Centered Placemaking strategy. This strategy will span various Maryland state agencies with the goal of aligning resources and amplifying the impact of the state’s investments in rural and small communities. The initiative is designed to help refine placemaking approaches and equip the Division with new tools to ensure that investments are coordinated, strategic, and prioritize the needs of the people and places they are intended to serve.

This initiative is directly linked to the implementation of the 2024 Just Communities Act. Under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Cat Goughnour, the Division of Just Communities is tasked with executing the goals of this act, which directs state investment towards communities that have historically faced discriminatory policies. These policies have included practices like redlining, disruptive urban renewal projects, high rates of incarceration, and disproportionate exposure to environmental and health hazards. Utilizing a framework centered on racial equity and social justice, along with program evaluation and community engagement, the state has designated 419 of Maryland’s 1,463 census tracts as Just Communities. These designated areas encompass 17 counties and the City of Baltimore. The five-year designation, enacted through a measure signed by Governor Moore in June 2025, establishes priority consideration for competitive state funding, commencing in Fiscal Year 2026. This approach aims to facilitate long-term community-led growth by leveraging innovative data tools to target and track investments, thereby working to rectify the historical harm caused by practices such as segregation and targeted disinvestment. The strategy is intended to ensure that investments not only foster enduring growth but also reflect and preserve the cultural capital and inherited knowledge of those most impacted by past policies.

As part of the Rural and Small Cities Program, the Public Finance Initiative will collaborate with the Division of Just Communities to co-design and host a two-day capacity-building workshop. This workshop is specifically tailored to support the Department’s People-Centered Placemaking efforts, providing participants with the necessary tools to advance equitable development and community-driven revitalization. The interactive sessions will include regional breakout discussions, hands-on exploration of relevant tools, and collaborative exercises designed to harness collective expertise and identify actionable next steps for creating a people-centered placemaking strategy for Maryland’s rural and small communities.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Division of Just Communities is dedicated to transforming communities into desirable places to live. Through strategic investments in community-led placemaking, housing, small business development, infrastructure, and broadband deployment, the Division collaborates with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners to foster the creation of thriving communities.

The Public Finance Initiative (PFI) partners with governments and organizations seeking to integrate values into public finance decision-making with the objective of creating sustainable, positive change. PFI operates as a fiscally sponsored organization under TSNE MissionWorks, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

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