Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program

(Page Shortcut: www.FloridaJobs.org/SmallCitiesCDBG)

Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Application Cycle

The Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2022 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application cycle opens March 20, 2023, and closes May 5, 2023. Funding is available for the Neighborhood Revitalization, Housing Rehabilitation, and Commercial Revitalization program areas. Non-entitlement units of local government are not eligible to apply for funding in any of the three program areas if they have an open CDBG subgrant in one of the three areas. FloridaCommerce also has funding available in the Economic Development program area for job creation and/or retention activities. Non-entitlement units of local government that have an open Neighborhood Revitalization, Housing Rehabilitation, Commercial Revitalization, or Economic Development subgrant are eligible to apply for Economic Development funding.

The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) was published on Friday, February 17, 2023.

Application Webinar

On April 6, 2023, FloridaCommerce hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the process and technical assistance to complete and submit an application. The webinar recording and slides are available below.

• FY 2022 CDBG Application Webinar
• FY 2022 CDBG Application Webinar Slide Deck

If you have any questions, please contact CDBG@Commerce.fl.gov.

Grant Application and Submission Information

The FFY 2022 application cycle for all categories of funding will open on March 20, 2023, and closes on May 5, 2023, at 5 p.m., Eastern Time (ET). Funding requests must be submitted via the Florida Small Cities CDBG Application for Funding, Form SC-60.

Electronic applications will be accepted online. An email request for a link to submit the application must be sent to CDBG@Commerce.fl.gov by 5 p.m., Eastern Time on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Instructions and access to upload the completed documents will be provided by return email. All applications must be received by 5 p.m., Eastern Time on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Applications may be submitted by mail to:
       FloridaCommerce
       Bureau of Small Cities and Rural Communities
       107 East Madison Street – MSC 400
       Tallahassee, Florida 32399-6508

Mailed applications must be received by 5 p.m., Eastern Time on May 5, 2023.

For more information, please visit Downloads and Information for Applicants. 

Introduction

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is a federal program that provides funding for housing and community development activities. Congress created the program when it passed the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.

The program, which is administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), consists of two components:

1. Entitlement Program - funds are provided directly to urban communities, and
2. State Program - funds are allocated to the states for distribution to eligible non-entitlement communities

FloridaCommerce administers the State Program in Florida through the Small Cities CDBG Program. This is a competitive grant program that awards funds to units of local government in small urban and rural areas. FloridaCommerce receives between 18 and 26 million dollars annually from HUD to award subgrants to eligible units of local government.

The program provides an excellent opportunity for communities to obtain funds for projects that they cannot otherwise afford. CDBG funds can also provide administrative support for local governments that may not have the staffing resources necessary to administer their projects. Examples of CDBG-funded projects include:

• Water and Sewer Improvements,
• Rehabilitation of Substandard Housing,
• Street and Sidewalk Improvements,
• Economic Development Activities that Create Jobs for Low-and Moderate-Income People,
• Downtown Revitalization, including Facade Improvements, Streetscaping, and Underground Utilities,
• Park Facilities and Community Centers, and
• Drainage / Stormwater Improvements.

Project Requirements

To be eligible for funding, an activity must meet at least one of the following National Objectives:

• Benefit to Low-and Moderate-Income Persons - at least 51 percent of the beneficiaries must be low- and moderate-income persons (total household income is at or below 80 percent of the area's median income),
• Elimination of Slum and Blight - eliminate conditions of slum or blight as defined by state law and identified by the unit of local government on a spot or area basis, or
• Address an Urgent Need - the activity must alleviate a condition that poses a serious and immediate threat to those living in the area. The condition must have occurred within 18 months of application. The unit of local government must demonstrate that it is unable to finance the activity on its own and that other funding is not available.

2021 Annual Action Plan Draft for Public Comment

FloridaCommerce in cooperation with other agencies, requests public comment on the FFY 2021 Annual Action Plan for Housing and Community Development prior to submitting it to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

• Notice of Public Meeting and 15-Day Public Comment Period

FFY 2021 Annual Action Plan Public Hearing:

• Date and Time: July 29, 2021, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time.
• Join Online: Join Live Microsoft Teams Event
• Join Via Telephone: 850-988-5144; Conference ID: 787 849 821# or
• Join In-Person: FloridaCommerce     
  • 107 E. Madison St., Caldwell Building, Room 232
  • Tallahassee, FL.

2021 Annual Action Plan with Unique Appendices [Draft Version for Public Comment, July 20, 2021 – August 4, 2021]

Administrative Rule

The administrative rule that governs the Small Cities CDBG Program is Rule Chapter: 73C-23, Florida Administrative Code.

Funding Categories

The program focuses on the following four funding categories:

1. Commercial Revitalization,
2. Economic Development,
3. Housing Rehabilitation, and
4. Neighborhood Revitalization

Eligible units of local government can determine what their local community development needs are and then apply for funding in the related category. For more information about applying for funding, see Downloads and Information for Applicants.

Eligible Applicants

The following units of local government are eligible to apply for Small Cities CDBG funds:

• Cities with fewer than 50,000 residents that have not accepted special entitlement status and have not opted to join an entitlement program,
• Counties with fewer than 200,000 residents, and
• Cities with more than 50,000 residents that have opted out of the urban entitlement program.

Visit Downloads and Information for Applicants to see a list of local governments that HUD has identified as being eligible to apply for Small Cities CDBG funding.

Recent Funding

Small Cities CDBG funding is awarded on a competitive basis in the Neighborhood Revitalization, Commercial Revitalization, and Housing Rehabilitation categories. The final application scores and funding awards for recent FFYs are listed below:

• FFY 2018 Small Cities CDBG Awards
• FFY 2017 Small Cities CDBG Awards
• FFY 2022 Small Cities CDBG Application Self-Scores
• FFY 2021 & 2022 Small Cities CDBG Application Self-Scores
• FFY 2019 Small Cities CDBG Application Self-Scores
• FFY 2018 Small Cities CDBG Application Self-Scores
• FFY 2016 Small Cities CDBG Application Final Scores
• FFY 2015 Small Cities CDBG Application Final Scores