Maryland chose nearly 400 communities to be prioritized for state funding in an effort to address what the governor's office calls "discriminatory policies," which include redlining and mass incarceration. 

The Just Communities campaign targets state investments that help reverse these policies. 

What is Just Communities? 

The governor approved the first Just Communities designation for 419 census tracts in Maryland. The communities will be prioritized for nearly $400 million in funds during the 2026 fiscal year. 

The Just Communities designation will create opportunities for areas that have been underserved for decades and excluded from certain benefits and resources, the governor's office said. 

The designation will go into effect on July 1. 

Deciding on Just Communities locations

The Just Communities designation was given to areas with economic and housing trends that show a need for reinvestment. 

The selected communities have been impacted by high imprisonment rates, exposure to health and environmental hazards and forms of legal racial segregation like redlining, according to the governor's office. 

The communities will receive a five-year Just Communities designation, allowing projects in the area to be prioritized for funding from the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Underserved Maryland communities

According to the governor's office, 17 of the 24 counties in Maryland - and Baltimore City - have areas that qualify for the Just Communities designation. 

Baltimore City has the largest number of areas that qualify for the designation, with 167. Prince George's County has 89 areas that qualify as Just Communities. Baltimore County has 49 qualifying communities. 

The Department of Housing and Community Development helped create the program through a state law in 2024 to help target state investments.