EASTON, MARYLAND — Maryland’s 2026 Venison Donation Grant Program is a $25,000 first-come processing ladder with a Sept. 27 deadline — not a general hunting subsidy and not a county-by-county award roster yet published.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced Sept. 4 that $25,000 is available again to help organizations cover the direct costs of butchering and processing deer whose venison is donated to programs assisting Marylanders in need. Grants are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and may be split among applicants. Eligible grantees are county governments, municipal corporations, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2026.

The program page and application materials tighten the use of every dollar. Grant awards may cover butchering and processing only for deer hunted in compliance with state hunting laws and regulations, donated to a program administered by the applicant that provides nutritional support or food for low-income individuals or the homeless, and carrying a dressed weight of at least 50 pounds. When grant money pays the processor, the maximum reimbursable rate is $60 per deer. Administrative costs are not eligible for reimbursement. Grantees identify and contract with processors, coordinate distribution, and file quarterly reports that include DNR hunting confirmation numbers, processor names and counts, amounts paid per deer, pounds of venison made available, and recipient organizations.

The ladder’s Mid-Shore read is the clock and the floors: $25,000 statewide, first-come allocation, a Sept. 27 electronic deadline, a $60 per-deer processing ceiling, and a 50-pound dressed-weight minimum. Official materials for this round do not publish a Talbot County or Mid-Shore applicant list.