NH Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Planning and Transformative Planning Grants

NH Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Planning and Transformative Planning Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority
Amount: Up to US $100,000
Last Updated: March 04, 2026

Summary

The NH Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program offers financial assistance to eligible municipalities for planning and transformative projects aimed at improving community viability. Grants support public facilities, affordable housing, economic development, and microenterprise initiatives, prioritizing low and moderate-income populations. With a focus on innovative solutions and partnerships, the program encourages municipalities to address pressing community needs effectively. The funding is administered by the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority and is available on a rolling basis until all funds are allocated.

Overview

NOTE: On a rolling basis, until all funds are obligated. NH Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Housing and Public Facilities Grants CDFA administers the State of New Hampshire’s annual federal allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds for eligible municipalities. The primary objective of the program is the development of viable communities by improving economic opportunities and meeting community revitalization needs, particularly for persons of low and moderate income. CDFA directly awards Community Development Block Grant resources to New Hampshire’s cities, towns, and counties, which often sub-grant the money to a nonprofit agency or other entity conducting the work. Funding for the Community Development Block Grant program is provided to New Hampshire through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. New Hampshire’s CDBG program focuses on funding projects in the following areas: Public Facilities Grants: Help finance water and sewer system improvements, transitional and homeless shelters, municipal infrastructure, handicapped access, and neighborhood or community centers that provide public services to low- and moderate-income people.Housing Grants: Support affordable housing and housing rehabilitation efforts that benefit low- and moderate-income homeowners and tenants.Economic Development Grants and Loans: Create jobs in your community that provide good wages, benefits, and training programs. Funds can also be used for acquisition of land and buildings, construction of commercial buildings, purchase of machinery and equipment, employee training, and public facilities improvements.Microenterprise Grants: The Microenterprise Program helps foster economic development by supporting organizations that provide a full range of entrepreneurial training and technical assistance services to low- and moderate-income micro-business owners and start-ups (those with fewer than five employees). Planning Grants: Up to $25,000 to support planning and feasibility related activities to determine whether a proposed project is viable. Municipalities can apply for funding to conduct activities like income surveys, preliminary architectural and engineering design, cost estimates and market analysis. Funding Priorities HUD requires that states establish priorities for CDBG among the types of eligible activities. Municipalities’ applications for funding must be consistent with the identified funding priorities, listed below: Emphasize solving community problems with long-term community development benefits and innovative solutions. Strengthen the resiliency and vibrancy, facilitate financial stability, and attract capital to the state’s communities. Provide additional resources for the development of affordable housing and rehabilitation of existing affordable housing. Preserve and promote existing neighborhoods and community centers. Provide improved housing and public facilities or employment opportunities primarily to low- and moderate-income persons or households. (Grants shall not benefit moderate-income persons to the exclusion of low-income persons). Build partnerships with municipalities and nonprofits with limited capacity and leveraging private and other public funding sources where feasible. Fund needed projects for which other private or public funding is not available.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. New Hampshire’s CDBG program is offered to eligible cities and counties for a wide range of activities as authorized under Section 105(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act (HCDA) of 1974, as amended. The state annually expects to receive new CDBG funds for distribution to non-entitlement cities and counties for eligible projects. The CDBG funds covered by this Method of Distribution (MOD) include: annual program year funds, unobligated program year funds, any program income received and grant funds recaptured from projects funded in prior grant years. CDFA will manage the competitive award and funding process for eligible projects under this Method of Distribution. Your city or county is eligible to apply for CDBG funds if: You do not receive CDBG funds directly from HUD. In 2021, the cities of Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Dover, and Rochester received HUD funds directly. You have a project that needs funding and meets the CDBG priorities and National Objectives discussed below. You have a project that aligns with NH’s CDBG priority activities. Two or more local governments (for example, a city and a county, or two cities) may work on an application for a regional project. In such cases, only one jurisdiction can be the primary applicant and act as the responsible party under the contract with the state. Joint applications where two or more parties are equally responsible will not be accepted. Regional projects are activities that benefit more than one jurisdiction and address a common problem in a region. The maximum funding available for a joint application shall be the same as for an individual applicant. Grantees can administer the funds within their organization (e.g., town staff, nonprofit staff) or through agreements with a contractor or subrecipient through procurement procedures. Subject to the specific requirements of each type of grant or subcategory, funds can be awarded as: A direct grant to a grantee; Grants, loan guarantees, interest rate subsidies or loans to an eligible subrecipient by the grantee; Interest rate subsidies or other favorable terms from a bank participating in the project with the grantee; or Any other innovative financing used either singly or in combination with items listed above, with permission from CDFA. Cities and counties cannot “pass through” the awarded funds to another city or county to carry out the project activities. The recipient must carry out the project activities and remain fully responsible for the grant-funded project’s compliance with all federal and state requirements. In other words, the project must be under the direct control of the grant recipient at all times.

Ineligibility

CDBG funds cannot be used for facilities owned and/or maintained by a state or federal agency. CDBG funds cannot be used to offset locally budgeted funds or to replace state or federal funds. All CDBG projects must comply with 2 CFR 200. In addition, 24 CFR 570.489(d) (2 CFR 200.444) requires that CDBG funds are not used for general expenses required to carry out other responsibilities of state and local governments.