Community Development Block Grant Program

Community Development Block Grant Program is sponsored by Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD). This federal grant program, administered by the Maryland DHCD, supports housing and community development projects that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income persons. Eligible projects include public facilities like community centers.

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Community Development Block Grant Program ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Community Development Block Grant Program funds help strengthen Maryland’s communities by expanding affordable housing opportunities, creating jobs, stabilizing neighborhoods and improving the overall quality of life. ​ Who is Eligible to Apply?

Units of general local government in non-entitlement counties with a population of less than 200,000 and non-entitlement cities and towns of less than 50,000 population are eligible to apply. Multiple jurisdictions may jointly apply for funds. Other entities, public or private, may be a sub-recipient of the eligible local government.

List of Eligible Jurisdictions​ Who is Not Eligible to Apply Applications for projects in the following entitlement counties and cities CANNOT be accepted by the State: Counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s (Note this also applies to municipalities in these counties) Cities: Annapolis, Baltimore, Bowie, Cumberland, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Hagerstown and Salisbury​ How Does the Program Work?

Congress created the Community Development Block Grant Program under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The primary objective is to develop viable communities, provide decent housing and a suitable living environment, and to expand economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversees the Program.

The Program is comprised of two parts. The Entitlement Program is directly administered by HUD and provides Federal funds to large metropolitan entitlement communities. The States and Small Cities Program provides Federal funds to the States and Puerto Rico (with the exception of Hawaii) who then distribute funds to non-entitlement counties, small cities, and towns.

Congress allocates funds to the program annually. The Entitlement Program receives approximately 70% of the allocation and the remaining 30% is distributed to the States and Small Cities Program. Maryland's Community Development Block Grant Program is administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

The State receives an allocation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Maryland's funds are primarily awarded through two funding categories. The "Community Development" category is competitive and applications are accepted once a year.

The "Special Projects" category is for planning, economic development, and projects meeting criteria for a special project.

Community Development Block Grant Program funded projects must be for eligible activities under Program regulations AND must meet one of the three national objectives: Benefits persons of low- and moderate- income Eliminates slum and blight Meets an urgent need of recent origin that threatens public health and safety Eligible projects generally fall into three types: Public facilities (water/sewer; streets; childcare, senior or community centers; shelters) Economic development projects Over a designated three-year period, the state must cumulatively use 70% of its allocation to benefit persons of low and moderate income.

SFY27 Competitive Round applications are due by Monday, July 6, 2026 by 2:00 p. m. Those received after the designated date and time will be rejected.

One PDF copy of the application is to be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Maryland CDBG Program at DHCD, 7800 Harkins Road, Lanham, MD. A folder link to cloud storage is permitted – view and download access must be enabled. The State notifies eligible localities of the availability of funds and conducts training sessions on application development.

​ Community Development Applications for Community Development projects are accepted once each year through a competitive process. Special Projects Applications for Special Projects and Planning can be submitted at any time throughout the year after a written approval has been received.

Application Materials and Related Information List of Towns with populations over 51% LMI - August 1, 2024 ​ CDBG Financial and Procurement Manual - Revised August 15, 2023​ ​ HUD Fair Market Rents - 9-1-2022 ​ 2024 ​HUD Income Limits ​ 2023 ​HUD Income Limits ​ Assistant Director, Community Development Programs Division of Neighborhood Revitalization ensures HTML content is downloaded and parsed first.

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