diff --git a/controllers/config/controller_config.go b/controllers/config/controller_config.go
index de49222ee..4cc1590d1 100644
--- a/controllers/config/controller_config.go
+++ b/controllers/config/controller_config.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ type ControllerConfig struct {
 	*sync.Mutex
 	Values     map[string]interface{}
 	Plugins    map[string]v1alpha1.PluginList
-	Dashboards []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef
+	Dashboards map[string][]*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef
 }
 
 var instance *ControllerConfig
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func GetControllerConfig() *ControllerConfig {
 			Mutex:      &sync.Mutex{},
 			Values:     map[string]interface{}{},
 			Plugins:    map[string]v1alpha1.PluginList{},
-			Dashboards: []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{},
+			Dashboards: map[string][]*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{},
 		}
 	})
 	return instance
@@ -86,17 +86,17 @@ func (c *ControllerConfig) SetPluginsFor(dashboard *v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboard) {
 	c.Plugins[id] = dashboard.Spec.Plugins
 }
 
-func (c *ControllerConfig) RemovePluginsFor(namespace, name string) {
-	id := c.GetDashboardId(namespace, name)
+func (c *ControllerConfig) RemovePluginsFor(dashboard *v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef) {
+	id := c.GetDashboardId(dashboard.Namespace, dashboard.Name)
 	delete(c.Plugins, id)
 }
 
 func (c *ControllerConfig) AddDashboard(dashboard *v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboard, folderId *int64, folderName string) {
 	ns := dashboard.Namespace
-	if i, exists := c.HasDashboard(dashboard.UID()); !exists {
+	if i, exists := c.HasDashboard(ns, dashboard.UID()); !exists {
 		c.Lock()
 		defer c.Unlock()
-		c.Dashboards = append(c.Dashboards, &v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{
+		c.Dashboards[ns] = append(c.Dashboards[ns], &v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{
 			Name:       dashboard.Name,
 			Namespace:  ns,
 			UID:        dashboard.UID(),
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func (c *ControllerConfig) AddDashboard(dashboard *v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboard, fo
 	} else {
 		c.Lock()
 		defer c.Unlock()
-		c.Dashboards[i] = &v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{
+		c.Dashboards[ns][i] = &v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{
 			Name:       dashboard.Name,
 			Namespace:  ns,
 			UID:        dashboard.UID(),
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ func (c *ControllerConfig) AddDashboard(dashboard *v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboard, fo
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *ControllerConfig) HasDashboard(str string) (int, bool) {
-	for i, v := range c.Dashboards {
-		if v.UID == str {
+func (c *ControllerConfig) HasDashboard(ns, uid string) (int, bool) {
+	for i, v := range c.Dashboards[ns] {
+		if v.UID == uid {
 			return i, true
 		}
 	}
@@ -130,45 +130,49 @@ func (c *ControllerConfig) HasDashboard(str string) (int, bool) {
 func (c *ControllerConfig) InvalidateDashboards() {
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
-	for _, v := range c.Dashboards {
-		v.Hash = ""
+	for _, ds := range c.Dashboards {
+		for _, v := range ds {
+			v.Hash = ""
+		}
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *ControllerConfig) SetDashboards(dashboards []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef) {
-	c.Lock()
-	defer c.Unlock()
-	c.Dashboards = dashboards
-}
-
 func (c *ControllerConfig) RemoveDashboard(hash string) {
-	if i, exists := c.HasDashboard(hash); exists {
-		c.Lock()
-		defer c.Unlock()
-		list := c.Dashboards
-		list[i] = list[len(list)-1]
-		list = list[:len(list)-1]
-		c.Dashboards = list
+	for ns := range c.Dashboards {
+		if i, exists := c.HasDashboard(ns, hash); exists {
+			c.Lock()
+			defer c.Unlock()
+			list := c.Dashboards[ns]
+			list[i] = list[len(list)-1]
+			list = list[:len(list)-1]
+			c.Dashboards[ns] = list
+		}
 	}
 }
 
 func (c *ControllerConfig) GetDashboards(namespace string) []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef {
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
-	// Checking for dashboards at the cluster level? across namespaces?
-	if namespace == "" {
-		var dashboards []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef
-		dashboards = append(dashboards, c.Dashboards...)
 
-		return dashboards
+	if c.Dashboards[namespace] != nil {
+		return c.Dashboards[namespace]
 	}
 
-	if c.Dashboards != nil {
-		return c.Dashboards
-	}
 	return []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{}
 }
 
+func (c *ControllerConfig) GetAllDashboards() []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef {
+	c.Lock()
+	defer c.Unlock()
+
+	var dashboards []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef
+	for _, ds := range c.Dashboards {
+		dashboards = append(dashboards, ds...)
+	}
+
+	return dashboards
+}
+
 func (c *ControllerConfig) AddConfigItem(key string, value interface{}) {
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
@@ -221,7 +225,7 @@ func (c *ControllerConfig) HasConfigItem(key string) bool {
 func (c *ControllerConfig) Cleanup(plugins bool) {
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
-	c.Dashboards = []*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{}
+	c.Dashboards = map[string][]*v1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{}
 
 	if plugins {
 		c.Plugins = map[string]v1alpha1.PluginList{}
diff --git a/controllers/grafana/grafana_controller.go b/controllers/grafana/grafana_controller.go
index c9eab6f1d..54556e489 100644
--- a/controllers/grafana/grafana_controller.go
+++ b/controllers/grafana/grafana_controller.go
@@ -283,11 +283,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileGrafana) manageSuccess(cr *grafanav1alpha1.Grafana, state *com
 	// Only update the status if the dashboard controller had a chance to sync the cluster
 	// dashboards first. Otherwise reuse the existing dashboard config from the CR.
 	if r.Config.GetConfigBool(config.ConfigGrafanaDashboardsSynced, false) {
-		cr.Status.InstalledDashboards = r.Config.Dashboards
-	} else {
-		if r.Config.Dashboards == nil {
-			r.Config.SetDashboards([]*grafanav1alpha1.GrafanaDashboardRef{})
-		}
+		cr.Status.InstalledDashboards = r.Config.GetAllDashboards()
 	}
 
 	instance := &grafanav1alpha1.Grafana{}
diff --git a/controllers/grafanadashboard/grafanadashboard_controller.go b/controllers/grafanadashboard/grafanadashboard_controller.go
index 9c01f1228..efdbabc68 100644
--- a/controllers/grafanadashboard/grafanadashboard_controller.go
+++ b/controllers/grafanadashboard/grafanadashboard_controller.go
@@ -363,13 +363,9 @@ func (r *GrafanaDashboardReconciler) reconcileDashboards(request reconcile.Reque
 
 		log.Log.Info(fmt.Sprintf("delete result was %v", *status.Message))
 
-		r.config.RemovePluginsFor(dashboard.Namespace, dashboard.Name)
+		r.config.RemovePluginsFor(dashboard)
 		r.config.RemoveDashboard(dashboard.UID)
 
-		// Mark the dashboards as synced so that the current state can be written
-		// to the Grafana CR by the grafana controller
-		r.config.AddConfigItem(config.ConfigGrafanaDashboardsSynced, true)
-
 		// Refresh the list of known dashboards after the dashboard has been removed
 		knownDashboards = r.config.GetDashboards(request.Namespace)
 
@@ -385,6 +381,10 @@ func (r *GrafanaDashboardReconciler) reconcileDashboards(request reconcile.Reque
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Mark the dashboards as synced so that the current state can be written
+	// to the Grafana CR by the grafana controller
+	r.config.AddConfigItem(config.ConfigGrafanaDashboardsSynced, true)
+
 	return reconcile.Result{Requeue: false}, nil
 }