The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides financial assistance to eligible units of local governments in the form of grants and loans for public facilities, housing rehabilitation and economic development projects.
Donor Name: North Dakota Department of Commerce
State: North Dakota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $200,000
Details:
The purpose of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Community Development Loan Fund (CDLF) Program Distribution Statement is to describe how the state of North Dakota intends to distribute its CDBG Public Facilities, Housing, and Economic Development funds. Specifically, the Statement describes the three National Objectives of the CDBG program, eligible applicants, eligible activities, special eligibility requirements, distribution of funds, policies and procedures, and the grant submission and selection process.
The primary beneficiaries of these projects must be very low and low income individuals. Examples of projects funded by CDBG in the respective emphasis areas are:
- Housing – housing rehabilitation of very low and low income homeowner units and rental units within a particular area.
- Public facilities – water and sewer projects, removal of architectural barriers, fire halls, ambulances, etc.
- Economic development – cities and counties receive funds to loan/grant to businesses which create jobs for low income persons.
The following priorities and objectives have been established for the distribution of Community Development Block Grant funds in North Dakota:
- Objectives for economic development will focus on: a. 51% Creation of permanent jobs must be available for low and moderate income persons;
- Economic diversification;
- Leveraging of private and local investment; and
- Benefit to the state’s economy.
- Funding for Public Facilities activities will primarily focus on:
- Water and sewer activities which currently present a threat to health and safety;
- Removal of architectural barriers which will permit access for the handicapped;
- Direct benefit to a locality’s low and moderate income persons; and
- Leveraging local and other available financial resources to finance the cost of the activity.
- Funding for Housing Activities will primarily focus on:
- Meeting the health and safety needs of very low income persons by bringing the rehabilitated housing up to a minimum of the Section 8 Housing Quality Standards; and
- Making more affordable housing available for low income persons. Emphasis will be given to encouraging applicants to use other public and private funds to complement Community Development Block Grant funds.
Funding Information
Waivers may be requested for situations where one applicant is being offered the remaining funds in the allocation. Minimum and maximum grant levels (excluding administration) are as follows:
- Public Facilities & Public Services
- Minimum Amount $75,000.00
- Maximum Amount No Maximum
- Housing – Single Family
- Minimum Amount $200,000.00
- Maximum Amount No Maximum
- Housing – Multi- Family
- Minimum Amount $100,000.00
- Maximum Amount No Maximum
- Economic Development
- Primary Sector
- Minimum Amount $100,000.00
- Maximum Amount No Maximum.
- Primary Sector
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants under the North Dakota Community Development Loan Fund and Community Development Block Grant Program are limited to counties and incorporated cities:
- A city is the eligible applicant for activities designed to take place within city limits. A city may apply for a project which would include an activity to be located outside city limits if the proposed activity will principally benefit residents within the city’s jurisdiction, such as a solid waste disposal site, a water or sewage treatment facility, an economic development project or if the activity involves property/facilities over which the city has direct control as the owner/operator, and for which a county could not apply.
- A county is the eligible applicant for activities designed to take place outside the limits of an incorporated city and in unincorporated areas. A county, however, may apply for an activity within an incorporated city that involves property/facilities over which the county has direct control as the owner/operator, and for which a city could not apply, such as a county courthouse. A county will not be limited to the number of unincorporated areas for which it may submit an application.
- A city or county may also submit an “on-behalf of” (multi-jurisdictional) application for an incorporated city which has determined that it lacks the administrative capacity to apply for and administer a grant. If an incorporated city permits a county or another city to submit an “on-behalf of” application, it may not submit an application on its own for any emphasis area. An “on-behalf of” application may consist of more than one city, but the activity must be the same in each city. In addition, each city must be discussed separately, each must include a written agreement with the on behalf of applicant, each must do a needs assessment and undertake actions to affirmatively further fair housing, each must sign the anti-displacement policy and all program assurances, and each must fulfill all citizen participation requirements. Such an arrangement must be identified in advance of an application in order to permit the Secretary of HUD to grant recognition to the combination of governments as a unit of local government.
- Where two or more eligible local governments (cities or counties) face a common community development problem, a joint application may be submitted with one local government designated as the lead applicant. To submit this type of application, the following conditions must be met:
- The problem to be addressed involves joint ownership and lies in an area of contiguous or overlapping jurisdiction;
- The solution to the common problem clearly requires cooperative action and is the most efficient strategy;
- The local governments involved must submit a signed cooperative agreement which defines who will be responsible for the administration and implementation of the grant if awarded.
- When submitting an application for a fire department/fire district, the following guidance for determining the eligible, or lead applicant is applicable:
- If a fire department/fire district primarily serves an eligible community, that community is the eligible applicant.
- If a fire department/fire district serves an eligible community, as well as the immediate surrounding area, then the community is the eligible applicant.
- If a fire department/fire district serves an area consisting of two or more counties, then the parent county (that county in which a majority of the area of the fire district is located) is the eligible applicant.
- A county is the eligible applicant for rural fire departments/districts not primarily serving an incorporated area.
- Eligible projects must also be consistent with at least one of the program’s national objectives:
- Benefit low and moderate income persons.
- Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight.
For more information, visit NDDC.
