Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 authorized the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The primary purpose of the CDBG program is the development of viable communities by providing decent housing, suitable living environments, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low and moderate income people. The program is sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the New Hampshire program is administered through the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA).
Typically, each year the New Hampshire CDBG program receives approximately $10 million from HUD to use towards the CDBG Programs: Housing, Public Facilities, Economic Development, Feasibility Studies, and Emergencies and Unanticipated Events. Since 1983, over 773 grants and over $188 million have been funded throughout New Hampshire.
Any municipality or county, other than entitlement communities of Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth, Manchester, and Nashua, is eligible to apply to CDFA for CDBG funding. A nonprofit agency may also apply through its municipality or county as a sub-recipient of CDBG money. All eligible municipalities and counties can apply for up to $500,000 in CDBG funds per year. Entitlement communities are those communities that, due to their population, receive CDBG money directly from HUD as a special set-aside.
