Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund
The Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF) returns a share of Maryland's adult-use cannabis tax revenue to the communities most harmed by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition. The Cannabis Reform Act of 2023 created the fund, and 35 percent of adult-use cannabis tax revenue goes into it.
All 24 of Maryland's local jurisdictions receive CRRF money. Each county and Baltimore City decides how to spend its share, within the uses State law allows, after hearing from the community.
The Office of Social Equity (OSE) at the Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility (DoSEM) oversees how the fund is carried out. OSE writes the CRRF regulations, guides local governments, and collects and reviews each jurisdiction's distribution plan and annual report. OSE does not distribute the money or choose the projects it pays for.
How the fund works
- Who sends the money?
- The Comptroller of Maryland distributes it to all 24 jurisdictions using a formula set in State law.
- Who decides how it is spent?
- Each jurisdiction, through a local distribution plan adopted after a public hearing.
- What does OSE do?
- Writes the regulations, guides local governments, and reviews their plans and annual reports.
- Key dates:
- Distribution plans and first annual reports were due to OSE October 1, 2026. Annual reports are due each October 1.
How each jurisdiction's share is set
Each jurisdiction's share of the fund matches its share of all cannabis possession charges in Maryland from July 1, 2002, to January 1, 2023. OSE determines the percentage for each jurisdiction, and the Comptroller distributes the money.
The searchable table on this page shows the number of charges and the resulting share for each jurisdiction, as published by OSE in its 2024 CRRF Survey Results Report. Search by jurisdiction.
The Comptroller publishes quarterly reports on cannabis tax revenue, including the amount that goes to the fund.
What the fund can pay for
Allowable uses of CRRF money
State law limits how jurisdictions can use CRRF money. Each jurisdiction sets its own priorities within these uses in its distribution plan.
These include:
- Behavioral health crisis response services
- Education and after-school programs
- Truancy and absenteeism intervention programs
- Housing and homelessness prevention initiatives
- Transportation improvements in high-density areas that have public transportation
- Job training and workforce development programs
- Community child care and recreational services
- Programs that benefit individuals and families impacted by incarceration
Under the CRRF regulations, a low-income community is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Qualified Census Tract. In a jurisdiction with two or fewer Qualified Census Tracts, it is an area where at least 51 percent of households earn 80 percent or less of the area median income.
Initiatives that serve disproportionately impacted areas: areas identified by OSE as having more than 150 percent of the State's 10-year average for cannabis possession charges.
A jurisdiction may use up to 15 percent of the CRRF money it receives in a fiscal year to administer the fund. Eligible costs include staff salaries, technology, professional services, employee training, consulting and legal services, fund tracking systems, and community engagement.
Law enforcement agencies or activities
Costs the jurisdiction would otherwise have funded. CRRF money must add to existing funding, not replace it.
Jurisdictions must also hold CRRF money separately from other revenue and general funds
Looking for CRRF funding for your organization?
DoSEM and OSE do not award CRRF grants. Community-based organizations apply to their county government or to Baltimore City. Each jurisdiction sets its own application process, priorities, and deadlines in its distribution plan. Contact your jurisdiction to learn when it will accept applications and how to take part in its public hearing.
For local governments: plan, hold a hearing, and report
These steps follow the CRRF regulations in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) at 14.17.23. Read the full regulations for every requirement.
-
Set up the fund locally
Hold CRRF money separately from other revenue and general funds, and adopt a local law that sets out the purposes for which the money will be used.
-
Decide whether to create a local CRRF commission
A local commission is optional. If you create one, it must have at least five members, including a resident of a disproportionately impacted area, an individual impacted by the criminal justice system, and an individual knowledgeable about the impacts of cannabis criminalization on communities. See COMAR 14.17.23.04 for the full membership requirements.
-
Develop a distribution plan with the community
Develop your plan in consultation with stakeholders. The plan must include assessment data, reflect community input, and describe your outreach to low-income communities.
-
Hold a public hearing
Before you finalize the plan, hold a public hearing. Publicize it at least 14 days in advance, hold it at a time and place accessible to people living in disproportionately impacted areas, allow time for public questions and responses, and accept written comments.
-
Approve the plan and submit it to OSE
Have your governing body approve the plan, then submit it to OSE. Plans were due by October 1, 2026.
-
Submit an annual report every October 1
Your report is due to OSE on or before October 1 each year, starting October 1, 2026. It must include: total funds received; funds carried over from prior years; total funds used; the name and email of your fund point of contact; each award recipient and amount; the services funded and the population served; the term of each award; administrative expenses by category; and the methods you used to solicit, review, and select recipients.
Rules and oversight
The CRRF regulations are in COMAR 14.17.23. They were adopted as emergency regulations effective July 20, 2026, through January 16, 2027. Permanent regulations will follow, with an opportunity for public comment.
The fund is subject to audit by the Office of Legislative Audits. If a jurisdiction does not comply with its distribution plan or the commission requirements, OSE may recommend corrective measures.
What Marylanders have told us
OSE gathers public input on the use of the fund every two years and publishes the findings.
In its 2023 survey, OSE heard from 1,285 Maryland residents. The top priorities were mental health and substance abuse services, education and after-school programs, and housing and homelessness prevention.
In 2024, OSE collected 1,466 valid survey responses. 85 percent of respondents agreed that the six priority areas identified in 2023 still reflected their communities' needs:
Mental health and substance abuse services
Education and after-school programs
Small business grants
Housing and homelessness
Criminal justice reform and reentry
Parks and recreational facilities
CRRF reports, laws, and data
2024 CRRF Survey Results Report (PDF) - PDF. Published April 1, 2025. Survey and town hall findings, plus each jurisdiction's share of the fund.
COMAR 14.17.23, Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund. The regulations jurisdictions must follow.
Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article, Section 1-3A-03. The State law that establishes the fund.
Comptroller of Maryland cannabis tax reports. Quarterly cannabis tax collections and the amount that goes to the fund.
Contact
Local governments with questions about distribution plans, annual reports, or the regulations: email OSE at [email protected] or call 1-877-420-8868.
Residents and community organizations: contact your county government or Baltimore City about local CRRF funding. For general questions, email [email protected].
Meet the Office of Social Equity
OSE also supports equitable participation in Maryland's adult-use cannabis industry through training, technical assistance, and funding partnerships.