Atlanta, GA – Commissioner Christopher Nunn announced today that forty Georgia communities will receive more than $35 million in federal grants to help grow their local economies. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the annual funds to the State’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The awarded communities are comprised of counties and cities statewide which will implement an array of community development projects across the state including housing improvement projects, public facilities such as water and sewer lines or street improvements and buildings such as local health centers or senior centers.

“Community Development Block Grants are impactful tools that benefit all parts of the state, especially rural Georgia,” stated DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “These awards represent locally-driven city and county solutions that will improve the quality of life for many Georgians.”

The State CDBG program is available to eligible non-entitlement local governments. The annual grants support community projects, facilitate creation of jobs, and assist low and moderate-income citizens. This year’s grant awards will fund $30.5 million in infrastructure projects, $3.8 million in housing projects, and $3 million in various building projects.

Since 2012, the CDBG program’s investments in new and enhanced health care facilities have helped more than 39,000 Georgians gain access to improved health care services, primarily in hard-to-reach areas. Over the last 10 years, the CDBG program has provided the resources for critical water and sewer improvements to serve more than 143,000 residents in rural areas. The program has also supported the construction or enhancement of community facilities that serve more than 46,000 youth and senior citizens.

The CDBG grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs received 66 applications requesting more than $59 million, according to KimberlyCarter, DCA’s Director of Community Finance. The applications are scored, rated, and ranked with grants awarded based on the applicant’s overall ranking.

A complete list of 2022 CDBG awards is available here as well as linked below.

In an effort to further encourage social distancing, DCA has modified the requirements for original signatures and in-person public hearings for the FY20 CDBG Annual Competition. 

Documents previously requiring original signatures may be signed and scanned with the resulting copy placed in the application.  Alternatively, the use of a third-party electronic signature vendor may also be used, such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign, which allow for a signature audit report.  Applicants must include the resulting audit report for all documents electronically signed using a third-party vendor in the application.  This measure should assist with maintaining social distancing protocols as documents can be mailed or emailed, signed and returned for placement in the application. 

Additionally, as it relates to social distancing, communities have the option of conducting a virtual public hearing if any public hearing has been cancelled or postponed due to the public health crisis.  The virtual hearing must allow for questions in real time, with answers coming directly from the elected representatives to all attendees.  As with an in-person hearing, the local government must select a virtual hearing method or platform that provides for accessibility for persons with disabilities and LEP to participate.  All notice requirements as outlined in the FY20 CDBG Applicant’s Manual remain in effect and must be documented.

As we near the revised deadline of May 1st, we have received questions regarding an additional deadline extension.  Most of these questions cite the need to obtain original signatures and/or hold public hearings. By allowing electronic signatures and providing HUD’s guidance on virtual public hearings, we are confident these barriers have been mitigated. The 30-day extension to May 1, 2020 remains in effect at this time and we are excited to see the applications that have already been received.  Feel free to continue submitting any completed applications in advance of the deadline.

We understand these are unprecedented times.  Rest assured our office will continue to monitor the situation and adapt as necessary.  Should you have any questions or need additional guidance, please contact our office at CDBG.Biz@dca.ga.gov.

As we near the April 1st deadline for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Revitalization Area Strategy (RAS) applications, we are mindful of how the COVID-19 crisis may have affected local governments and partner organizations preparing for an application submission.  Therefore, we are extending the deadline for the FY20 State CDBG Annual Competition for Non-Entitlement Communities to Friday, May 1, 2020.  All applications must be RECEIVED (not postmarked) by May 1, 2020.  Hand delivered applications will not be accepted; only mailed applications received by the deadline from USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. will be accepted. We are unable to guarantee staffing in the building and are proactively limiting human interactions in response to the virus. We encourage the submission of completed applications as soon as possible and welcome early submissions.  

As it relates to deadlines, all threshold related deadlines previously set for April 1 have been extended.  The deadlines referenced on page 13 of the FY2020 CDBG Applicants’ Manual are revised as follows:

*Additional information regarding these items are detailed in the following section.

Local Government Compliance Deadline Extension

For those local governments with a FY2019 audit due to the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts and/or FY2019 Report of Local Government Finance due to the Georgia Department of Affairs due between March 31 and June 30, a one-time 90-day extension may be requested. If necessary, this combined DOAA/DCA extension may be requested by the local government’s Chief Elected Official (Commission Chair, Mayor, etc.), and would be applicable only for FY2019 submissions due between March 31-June 30, 2020. Additional guidance on extension requests will be available in the coming days.

Jurisdictions which request and are granted extensions for any of the DCA or DOAA requirements identified above by the existing deadline will not be penalized in applications for funding, program designations, or other state-administered benefits. 

ATLANTA (August 30, 2019) – Gov. Brian Kemp today announced that 59 Georgia communities will receive a total of $41 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the funding to Georgia’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

“These communities understand the importance of how these funds can enhance and improve the quality of life for residents across the state,” Gov. Kemp said. “When communities are revitalized, their citizens are as well. The CDBG program continues to elevate Georgia’s prominence as a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

Of this year’s grant awards, $38 million will go to infrastructure projects such as neighborhood revitalization, construction of community facilities, and water, sewer, drainage or street improvements. An additional $2.95 million will be disbursed through the Employment Incentive Program (EIP) and the Redevelopment Fund, which together are projected to create 192 new jobs and generate $70.4 million in additional private investment.

“I look forward to recognizing these outstanding communities at our annual Fall Conference,” said DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “The CDBG recipients embody careful planning, hard work and dedication to improving their communities.”

The CDBG program is available to eligible local governments through a competitive grant program. Each year, CDBG supports community projects that create jobs and assist citizens with low and moderate incomes.

Over the past decade, Georgia’s CDBG program has invested in health care facilities that have helped more than 35,000 Georgians gain access to improved health services, has provided resources for critical water and sewer improvements serving more than 177,000 residents in rural areas, has supported the construction or enhancement of community facilities to serve more than 16,000 youth and senior citizens, and has helped to create more than 6,100 new jobs through the Employment Incentive Program. 

A complete list of 2019 CDBG awards is attached. More information regarding Georgia’s CDBG awards is available below.

State of Georgia CDBG 2022 Annual Competition Underway

The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) received 66 applications requesting $59,298,180 in assistance through the State of Georgia Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2022 Annual Competition. 

An alphabetical listing with project descriptions is provided. The Community Finance Division (CFD) will review applications using the evaluation and scoring criteria outlined in the FFY 2022 CDBG Applicants’ Manual. Funding announcements are anticipated in September 2022.

2022 CDBG Annual Competition Application Descriptions