Upcoming Community Development Block Grant Deadlines

Deadlines are approaching throughout the Midwest for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). According to HUD, the primary goal of the CDBG program is “the development of viable communities, by providing decent housing and suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.”

What does low and moderate income mean? Low and moderate income (LMI) households are those with up to 80% of the median household income based on household size. CDBG currently uses 2015 American Community Survey data to estimate the LMI of a given community.

Each State receives two types of CDBG funding: Entitlement and Nonentitlement.

  1. Entitlement CDBG funding is distributed to cities over 50,000 and counties over 200,000 population. These communities receive annual distributions directly from HUD.
  2. Nonentitlement CDBG funding is available for cities under 50,000 and counties under 200,000 population.

Each State administers its CDBG funding independently and prioritizes the unique needs of the communities they serve. This article covers CDBG information and deadlines for Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Colorado

The State of Colorado administers its nonentitlement funding through the Department of Local Affairs’ (DOLA) Division of Local Government (DLG). This grant is available for community development activities including utility infrastructure, community centers, and shelters. The 2021 application deadline for CDBG funding was in February. The DLG has not yet announced the application deadline for the 2022 CDBG funding.

Entities eligible to apply are limited to units of local governments, including counties. These entities may apply on behalf of nonprofits. Applications are submitted electronically on the DOLA grant portal, but application questions can be submitted to the applicable regional manager. The State regions are shown in Figure 1, and the corresponding regional manager contact information is in Figure 2.

Figure 1: Colorado CDBG Regions
CO CDBG RegionRegional Manager
NorthwesternKimberly Bullen Kimberly.bullen@state.co.us 970-903-0230
SouthwesternPatrick Rondinelli Patrick.rondinelli@state.co.us 970-749-0138
Northern MountainsGreg Winkler Greg.winkler@state.co.us 970-668-6160
South CentralChristy Doon Christy.doon@state.co.us 719-580-1313
North CentralChris La May Chris.la.may@state.co.us 970-679-4501
CentralClay Brown Clay.brown@state.co.us 303-273-1787
SoutheasternTara Marshall Tara.marshall@state.co.us 719-544-6577
NortheasternGreg Etl Greg.etl@state.co.us 970-380-4065

Figure 2: Colorado CDBG Regional Managers

North Dakota

In North Dakota, the entitlement communities include Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks.

The nonentitlement funding is distributed annually to the North Dakota Department of Commerce, who then relies on the eight regional councils to administer. Eligible applicants are limited to North Dakota nonentitlement cities and counties with LMI of at least 51%. Cities and counties may serve as project sponsor to a non-eligible entity. Applicants are required to cover a 15% CDBG administrative fee and all engineering expenses as a local match.

North Dakota offers CDBG grants for public facilities (infrastructure), housing (single family and multi-family), removal of architectural barriers, and economic development.

North Dakota’s eight regional councils recently announced deadlines for applying for the nonentitlement distribution. The eight regional councils and their districts are highlighted in Figure 3. The Council names, 2021 distributions, and application deadlines are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3: North Dakota Regional Councils
No.Regional CouncilAvailable FundingApplication Deadlines
1Tri County Regional Development Association$268,00005/14/2021
2Souris Basin Planning Council$332,0006/23/2021
3North Central Planning Council$269,3216/18/2021
4Red River Regional Council$205,9516/23/2021
5Lake Agassiz Regional Council$290,4455/19/2021
6South Central Dakota Regional Council$265,0005/14/2021
7Lewis and Clark Regional Development Council$155,7846/4/2021
8Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council$216,513Fall 2021
Figure 4: Regional Council Distributions and Deadlines

Each North Dakota Regional Council has its own application package with differing project priorities. Entities interested in applying are encouraged to contact the corresponding regional council to discuss the proposed project and the Council’s specific application requirements.

Minnesota

The Minnesota nonentitlement CDBG funding is administered through the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) Small Cities Development Program (SCDP). This program is available to cities with fewer than 50,000 residents and counties with fewer than 200,000 residents and the proposed project must benefit low- and moderate-income persons.

DEED administers the grant funds under three categories:

  1. Housing,
  2. Public Facilities, and
  3. Comprehensive (economic development and/or a combination of housing and public facilities).

The maximum grant is $600,000 for a single purpose (housing or public facilities) project and $1.4 million for a comprehensive project.

MN DEED has not announced the application deadline for the 2022 grants. If the 2022 application window follows the schedule from the previous year, the next application window will open mid-summer with applications due mid-November. Program regions in the State of Minnesota are show in Figure 5, and contact information is listed in Figure 6.

Figure 5: Minnesota Small Cities Development Program Regions
RegionRegional Representative
1, 2, 3, 7WChristian Nordeng Christian.nordeng@state.mn.us 651-259-7455
4Natasha Kukowski Natasha.kukowski@state.mn.us 651-259-7425
5, 6W, 8, 11Zachary Klehr Zachary.klehr@state.mn.us 651-259-7460
6E, 7E, 9, 10Emajean Hanson-Ford Emajean.hanson-ford@state.mn.us 651-259-7461
Figure 6: Minnesota Regional Representatives

Montana

The State of Montana’s CDBG program, administered by the Community Development Division of the Department of Commerce (MDOC), offers grants for five distinct categories:

  1. Planning,
  2. Community and Public Facilities,
  3. Economic Development,
  4. Affordable Housing Development and Rehabilitation, and
  5. Housing Stabilization.

All grants are administered directly by the MDOC, with separate application deadlines for each category.

Montana’s nonentitlement CDBG assistance is available to cities, towns, and counties with populations under 50,000. The cities of Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula are entitlement communities.

The application window is currently open for the Spring 2021 planning grants. Applicants are eligible for up to $50,000 for the preparation of plans, studies, training or research. Applications are due June 18, 2021 and a 1:3 match is required.

The MDOC has not yet announced the application window for community and public facilities, but applications are estimated to open this summer. The maximum grant award is $450,000, and matching funds equal to 25% of the CDBG request is required.

Guidelines and the application for the CBDG planning grant can be found on the MDOC website.

South Dakota

The South Dakota CDBG program is administered by the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development in cooperation with the State’s six planning districts. South Dakota separates is annual allocation into four categories:

  1. Community Projects (infrastructure and public facilities),
  2. Special Projects (infrastructure for economic development),
  3. Workforce Training, and
  4. Imminent Threat (address urgent threats to public health and safety).

South Dakota’s entitlement cities include Rapid City and Sioux Falls. All nonentitlement cities and towns are eligible to apply for to the State’s CDBG program. Eligible entities should work with their local planning district to apply. Applications are due twice a year on April 1 and October 1. Figure 7 shows the South Dakota planning council jurisdictions, and Figure 8 lists the contact information and provides a link the council website for specific CDBG information.


Figure 7: South Dakota Planning Councils
 Planning CouncilCDBG ContactCouncil Website
 Black Hills Council of Local GovernmentsAli Demersseman ademersseman@tie.net 605-394-2681Link
 Central South Dakota Enhancement DistrictDavid Reiss david@csded.org 605-773-2780Link
 Northeast Council of GovernmentsEric Senger eric@necog.org 605-626-2595Link
 Planning & Development District IIIGreg Henderson districtiii@districtiii.org 605-665-4408Link
 First District of Local GovernmentsTodd Kays todd@1stdistrict.org 605-8852-5115Link
 South Eastern Council of GovernmentsLynne Keller Forbes lynne@secog.org 605-367-5390Link
Figure 8: South Dakota Planning Council Contact Information

If you have questions about CDBG funding, contact Abby Ritz, AE2S Nexus Funding Programs Specialist.