College Park New Neighbor Homeownership Grant

At a glance

Amount

$5,000 to $20,000 toward down payment or closing costs, depending on who you are and what you buy

Type of help

Grant

Where

City of College Park, Prince George's County

Run by

City of College Park, Department of Planning and Community Development

First-time buyer

Repeat buyers welcome

Income limit

None

Homebuyer education

Not required

How the grant works

Money you do not pay back, as long as you meet the program's stay-in-the-home terms.

• Interest: None, it is a grant
• Monthly payment: None
• Forgiveness: You agree to live in the home as your primary residence for at least five years
• When you would repay: Leaving before the five-year occupancy commitment ends can trigger repayment; the grant agreement sets the terms

Who qualifies

• Repeat buyers welcome.
• Income. The city does not publish an income limit for this grant. Eligibility is based on your connection to College Park or the property you buy.
• Extra help for: first responders.
• Property types: Single-family, Townhouse, Condo. Must be your primary residence.
• The home must be inside the City of College Park.
• $5,000 tier: you already live in the city, work full time for an employer located in the city, or are a full-time University of Maryland College Park graduate student.
• $15,000 tier: full-time police officers with Prince George's County, M-NCPPC, WMATA, the State of Maryland, the University of Maryland, or another department with jurisdiction in the city.
• $15,000 tier also covers full-time career firefighters and EMTs with the Prince George's County Fire Department, and active operational members of a county volunteer fire department with certification.
• Property bonus of $5,000 (so $10,000 or $20,000 total) when the home was a non-owner-occupied rental for the previous two years, or was owner-occupied but rented to more than two other people for two years.
• The same $5,000 property bonus applies to new construction, a foreclosure, a short sale, or a home in a neighborhood the city classifies as 50% or more rental.

How to apply

1. 1Confirm the address is inside city limits and check whether the property qualifies for the extra $5,000 tier before you write the offer.
2. 2Complete the city's online New Neighbor application and gather proof of your eligibility (residency, employer, student status, or department employment).
3. 3Coordinate with your lender and title company so the grant is disbursed at settlement. Call Planning and Community Development at 240-487-3538 with questions.

Watch out for

• First come, first served. Funding is set each city budget year and can run out.
• The City Council reviewed potential revisions to this program at its September 15, 2026 meeting. Amounts or criteria may change; confirm the current terms before you rely on a number.
• You commit to five years of owner-occupancy. Read the grant agreement for what happens if you sell or move early.
• The College Park City-University Partnership's separate $15,000 Homeownership Program stopped taking applications in February 2024. It has been replaced by the Partnership's Live+Work program, which is not covered here.

Straight answers

Sources

• City of College Park: Grants, Scholarships, and Credits (Homeownership Grants) (read Sep 22, 2026)
• College Park City Council agenda, September 15, 2026 (New Neighbor program review) (read Sep 22, 2026)

Program details are summarized from public sources and change without notice. Funding badges reflect the last time we checked, not a guarantee of availability. This is buyer education from a real estate agent, not a loan pre-approval or a commitment to lend. Eligibility is decided by each program administrator and your lender. Equal Housing Opportunity.