Grant Program Has Distributed Over $750,000 To First-Time Homebuyers

BALTIMORE, MD (Friday, April 25, 2025) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that Buy Back the Block has distributed over $750,000, making homeownership accessible to more than 60 Baltimore residents. The Buy Back the Block program is funded through the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs with American Rescue Plan funding. Mayor Scott - along with Live Baltimore Executive Director Meghan McCorkell, State Senator Antonio Hayes, and City Councilman James Torrence - celebrated the announcement at the home of Ian Morgan, a recent grant recipient in the Northwest Community Action neighborhood.

"To keep up Baltimore's Renaissance, we need to make sure Baltimoreans can afford to live and stay here," said Mayor Scott. "Thanks to Buy Back the Block - a transformative program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered in partnership with Live Baltimore - more people like Ian will be able to do exactly that. We want every Baltimorean to take advantage of these resources, so they can build generational wealth and own a piece of their City. I encourage everybody to go to LiveBaltimore.com and make their dreams of homeownership a reality."

"It has taken a great deal of dedication and commitment to make Buy Back the Block a truly beneficial program for Baltimore residents," said Live Baltimore Executive Director Meghan McCorkell. "While we're proud of the milestone number, we know each number signifies lives that have been changed by this program. Our entire team is so proud of the work and its impact on our community."

Buy Back the Block grant recipient Ian Morgan moved to Baltimore over a decade ago. He worked with Victor Akinnagbe, CEO of Baltimore Rebirth, a real estate development firm, to purchase his brand-new home. Before the sale, an arson incident left the now fully redeveloped home vacant. Morgan received a $15,000 home purchase grant through Buy Back the Block; the grant does not need to be repaid.

Buy Back the Block, a partnership between the city and Live Baltimore, still has over 40 additional grants available before December 31, 2025. Grants are awarded to residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

To be eligible for a Buy Back the Block grant, residents must have lived in a grant-eligible area for at least 12 months and intend to purchase a home anywhere within the grant-eligible area. A searchable map of the grant-eligible areas is available here. Eligible residents have two grant options: a $15,000 purchase grant and a $20,000 grant to purchase and renovate their new home. Grant recipients must complete homeownership counseling with an approved Baltimore City agency and work with a Live Baltimore-approved lender.

Those interested in applying should visit Live Baltimore's website and fill out the eligibility quiz to get started. To learn more about the Buy Back the Block program, click here.