The Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB), a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture, will begin accepting grant applications on Aug. 2 for research, educational, and promotional projects that support horses or the equestrian community or develop new opportunities for the Maryland horse industry. Application deadline is Oct. 2.

Among the organizations eligible for MHIB grants are nonprofit organizations, clubs, and associations, businesses, farms and stables, government entities, schools, and educational institutions. Projects of interest to the MHIB include (but are not limited to) those that develop new opportunities for the Maryland horse industry.

Projects will be evaluated for their value to the industry, degree of industry promotion, size and scope of activity, financial need, potential for matching funds, benefits, and the quality of the written presentation. Grant requests should not exceed $3,000—the average grant amount is about $1,200. In 2015, 28 projects received $30,000 in grant allocations.

Grant recipients will be announced no later than Jan. 1, 2016, and funding will be available after that date. Projects should be completed by June 30, 2016