Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

What Is It?

The Community Development Block Grant entitlement program allocates funds to assist in providing affordable housing, a suitable living environment, and opportunities to expand economic opportunities principally for low and moderate-income persons.

The Cumberland County Redevelopment Authority’s Community Development Division administers the program on behalf of both the Borough and the County respectively. Cumberland County & The Carlisle Borough receive an annual allocation from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. This program provides communities with resources to assist low-to-moderate-income individuals.

Eligibility

This program focuses on two key priorities—assisting low-to-moderate-income individuals and remediating slum and blight conditions. Each year, the borough, the county, businesses, non-profit groups, and other organizations apply for an increasingly limited pool of funds to carry out eligible activities.

Examples of acceptable projects include:

• Rehabilitating homes for income-qualified residents
• Providing low-interest loans for businesses to hire low-to-moderate-income employees
• Demolishing or rehabilitating blighted structures that endanger public health and safety
• Installing handicapped-accessible curb cuts and ramps
• Constructing public facilities, such as parks, in predominately low-to-moderate-income areas
• Providing funding for enhanced code enforcement activities in predominately low-to-moderate-income areas

How Does it Work?

The Cumberland County CDBG annual funding request typically opens in late fall and closes in early spring. Community Development Staff will review applications and score each one before making recommendations for funding to Cumberland County Commissioners. Once approved, the same recommendations are sent to HUD for final review. Accepted subrecipients can expect a Notice of Award around late summer or early fall, with funds being released for use from HUD around November. Please plan your project accordingly.

Cumberland County CDBG applications will only be accepted through electronic submission. Some notes about the application:

• Be specific about project details. Your project description should include one or two sentences explicitly stating exactly what it is you plan on doing, when, and where.
• The contact information provided in the application is what we will use to reach out about your project. Please provide contact information for someone directly related to the project and who can answer specific questions.
• You can save and return to your application later.
• You must sign and submit your application to be considered.
• Any charges allocated to the project prior to receiving an Environmental Review Record and a Notice to Proceed from our offices will not be considered eligible for reimbursement under this grant. Special exceptions may exist; we encourage you to contact us before approving the charges.

Applications open December 1, 2024 at 8 a.m. and close March 1, 2025 at 5 p.m. You can access the online application below.

Reference the Consolidated Plan here.

Key Resources

CDBG – Policies and Procedures CDBG – Eligible Activities Cheat Sheet CDBG – Sample Application Evaluation Criteria Worksheet CDBG – Subrecipient Monitoring Policy (with Sample Agreement and Monitoring Checklist)