Community Development Block Grant

The Office of Community Renewal administers the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for the State of New York. The NYS CDBG program provides financial assistance to eligible cities, towns, and villages with populations under 50,000 and counties with an area population under 200,000, in order to develop viable communities by providing decent, affordable housing, and suitable living environments, as well as expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.

The state must ensure that no less than 70% of its CDBG funds are used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons. The program objectives are achieved by supporting activities or projects that: benefit low- and moderate-income families; create job opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons; prevent or eliminate blight; or address a community development need that poses a serious and imminent threat to the community's health or welfare. Project selection shall take into consideration the recommendation of the relevant regional economic development council or the Commissioner's determination that the proposed project aligns with the regional strategic priorities of the respective region.

Grant Agreement Forms 

Application and Schedule A Condition Forms

 Environmental Review Forms

Disbursement of CDBG Funds

CDBG Reporting

General Grant Administration

File Maintenance Labels

Eligibility

Cities, towns, and villages located in non-entitlement areas with a population under 50,000 and counties with an unincorporated population of 200,000 are eligible to apply for CDBG funding. Eligible applicants must be in substantial compliance with all applicable State and Federal laws, regulations, and Executive Orders that pertain to the CDBG Program.

Please view eligible areas in your community using the following links.

  • Eligibility by City

  • Eligibility by County

  • Eligibility by Town

  • Eligibility by Village

There are three types of housing projects eligible for CDBG funding:

  • Housing Rehabilitation

  • Homeownership Assistance

  • Private Water/Wastewater System Assistance

The primary goal of any housing project is to increase the supply of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Through a needs analysis and detailed survey of income and housing conditions, each applicant will be able to determine the most suitable approach for addressing these goals.

Housing Rehabilitation

The CDBG program is highly flexible, allowing for communities to develop an approach to housing rehabilitation that best suits their needs. Examples include:

  • Direct financial assistance as a grant or loan or a combination thereof
  • Target area for substandard housing located in a defined geographic area
  • Non-target area approach for substandard housing on scattered sites
  • A focus on a certain income categories (i.e. below 50% of the median income)
  • Selection criteria based on severity of need or first come, first serve approach
  • Rehabilitation can be for owner-occupied or renter occupied
  • Rehabilitation on vacant units for low- and moderate-income persons
 

Homeownership Assistance

CDBG Homeownership programs provide financial assistance to low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers for the purchase of homes. As with the rehabilitation activities, the program is designed to be flexible so communities can determine the appropriate means of assistance. Activities include the following:

  • Direct financial assistance including down payment assistance and closing costs

  • Counseling of prospective homeowners to ensure applicants have an understanding of program obligations, budgeting, and overhead costs.

  • Minor rehabilitation of certain houses that are otherwise structurally sound.

  • Successful homeownership applications include information on the manner in which the program will be marketed to potential applicants, a list of potential
     eligible applicants to document the market and need, real estate data including average cost of homes and number of homes available within the price range and
     evidence that the amount available

Private Water/Wastewater System Assistance

The CDBG program can help assure safe drinking water and wastewater systems to thorough activities such as drilling of private wells, construction or rehabilitation of septic systems, and installation of lateral connections to low- and moderate-income households from the public water/sewer mains. Applications for funding of lateral connections can be stand-alone projects or can be part of a larger public infrastructure project. However, in order for a community to construct the laterals out of CDBG funds, the homeowners must be low- and moderate-income.

Successful applications for private water/wastewater systems will include evidence that property owners are eligible and willing to participate in the program, information as to how the program will be marketed, and information on the level of subsidy and type of subsidy (loan or grant).

 

Maximum Grant Amounts
Counties, Towns, Cities or Villages  
$750,000

Joint Applicants     
$900,000

Joint Applicants with NYS Co-Funding Initiative
$1,250,000

*With NYS Co-Funding Initiative
$1,000,000

Public Facilities
Counties, Towns, Cities or Villages
$300,000

Housing
Towns, Cities, or Villages     
$500,000

Counties
$1,000,000

Microenterprise
Counties, Towns, Cities or Villages
$200,000


Planning
Counties, Towns, Cities or Villages
$50,000

*For certain “co-funded” Public Infrastructure projects, applicants may apply for an amount of funding not to exceed $1,000,000.“Co-funded” projects are those projects that include other State and/or Federal sources including, but not limited to, USDA Rural Development and/or the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC). In order to qualify for this higher funding threshold, the applicant must clearly demonstrate that other co-funded sources are firmly committed and in place at the time of application. Please contact OCR for more information.

CDBG Objectives

• Support a mix of rehabilitation and conversion activities to preserve and increase affordable housing for homeowners and renters
   
• Encourage investment in communities by assisting local governments in devising and implementing economic development strategies to revitalize viable communities and provide economic opportunities that principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons
   
• Revitalize the vibrancy of New York's communities and enhance the quality of life
   
• Develop and implement strategies that facilitate the coordination of CDBG
  funding with other Federal, State, and local community development resources.

OCR On The Ground