Maryland Department of Transportation

Runs Maryland transport state support and a local small business grant for firms linked to Purple Line communities.

The Maryland Department of Transportation is the state's transportation agency, responsible for transit, highways, aviation, ports, and motor vehicle services. Its small-business-facing work splits into two very different lanes: direct grant funding through the Purple Line Small Business Grant Program, and contracting access through the Office of Small & Minority Business Policy. That distinction matters because only the Purple Line program is cash assistance.

The Purple Line grant offers up to $50,000 per award from a $1 million annual pool through 2028. The program runs in up to three rounds a year and is aimed at small businesses with 50 or fewer employees, less than $2 million in annual gross sales, good standing with state tax authorities, and operations that predate July 1, 2023. Eligible firms must also sit within a quarter mile of the Purple Line alignment, and complete applications require a W-9 and proof of active status without an application fee.

MDOT's supplier-diversity office handles MBE, DBE, ACDBE, SBE, and SBR certification and outreach, which improves contract access but does not function as grantmaking. For businesses affected by Purple Line construction, the grant is the direct route; for firms seeking procurement opportunity across Maryland transportation projects, the certification programs are the relevant path.