(Page Shortcut: www.FloridaJobs.org/SmallCitiesCDBG)
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:
- Entitlement Program - funds are provided directly to urban communities, and
- State Program - funds are allocated to the states for distribution to eligible non-entitlement communities
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) 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. Florida 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
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity 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: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
- 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:
- Commercial Revitalization,
- Economic Development,
- Housing Rehabilitation, and
- 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: