(Page Shortcut: www.FloridaJobs.org/SmallCitiesCDBG)
The Community Development Block Grant 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 Department of Economic Opportunity administers the State Program in Florida through the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant 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. Community Development Block Grant (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.
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 Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) are listed below: