CDBG Coalition
Spotlight: 2026 CDBG Impact Report
About the CDBG Coalition
The CDBG Coalition consists of 33 national organizations which recognize the importance of the CDBG program in empowering and transforming people and places. The organizations represent elected officials, state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and advocates.
About the CDBG Program
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is a highly impactful federal program that allows State and local governments and their program partners to craft locally driven solutions to address urgent and important community development needs. Program activities focus on four areas: decent housing, infrastructure (public improvements), services, and economic development. The CDBG program grows local economies and improves the quality of lives for low- and moderate-income citizens. Over 1,200 jurisdictions receive an annual allocation of CDBG funds. Nationally, over 7,200 rural, suburban and urban communities have access to CDBG funds. Communities use CDBG to respond to current and emerging community development needs, including job creation, affordable housing development, improvement of existing housing stock, the delivery of services, and the development of infrastructure improvements.
Public Facilities and Infrastructure Improvements
CDBG helps communities fund the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and installation of public facilities and infrastructure. These include publicly owned infrastructure such as water and sewer systems and buildings owned by non-profit organizations that are open to the public and provide important community services. Overall, these activities received the highest amount of program investment among eligible categories in FY2023.
Public Services
CDBG grantees can use up to 15% of their annual allocation plus 15% of program income from the previous program year for community services to address a wide range of community needs. These services include employment training, meals and other services to the elderly, services for abused and neglected children, aid to local food banks, youth and senior services, and support for many other community services. Services are provided by large and small public and private organizations in diverse settings such as schools, community facilities and other venues.
Affordable Housing
CDBG is essential to affordable housing preservation and expansion in low- and moderate-income areas. The CDBG program focuses on the elimination of conditions which are detrimental to health, safety, and public welfare primarily through rehabilitation of single family and rental properties. These activities result in the preservation of affordable housing and the expansion of the affordable housing stock for low- and moderate- income people. Grantees also use CDBG to assist first-time homebuyers. These resources enable low- and moderate-income people to enter the housing market and build wealth through homeownership.
Economic Development
CDBG economic development activities help communities tackle economic distress, stimulate private investment, spur small business and commercial growth, and add jobs to the local economy. CDBG-funded economic development activities help address challenges and barriers to local economic growth such as the lack of working capital and financing for business development and expansion and the lack of adequate infrastructure to attract new businesses.
Highlighted CDBG Projects
HATCH Workforce Training Program
City of Huntsville, AL - AL-05
CDBG Funding: $100,000
In January 2025, the City of Huntsville distributed a portion of its annual CDBG allocation to support the operating costs of eight local organizations. Among these was HATCH, a nonprofit organization which provides an eight-week job training program for young adults. The program empowers students by offering hospitality and culinary skills through intensive workshops, one-on-one coaching, mental health support, and a stipend. Last year, $100,000 in CDBG funding was used to cover administrative costs for HATCH personnel, supporting the continuation of the program.
Wayman D. Palmer YMCA
City of Toledo, OH - OH-09
CDBG Funding: $4,700,000
The new Wayman D. Palmer YMCA is a joint project from the City of Toledo and the YMCA of Greater Toledo which involved demolishing a deteriorating building and developing a new facility as well as a new city park next door. This project began with a CDBG-funded feasibility and market study which confirmed the distress of the surrounding area and the depth of the community’s needs. This YMCA’s primary service area covers ten neighborhoods and roughly 18 census tracts within Toledo’s central corridor. The overwhelming majority of persons served at this branch are minority persons, reflecting the composition of the surrounding Neighborhoods. The new 50,000-square-foot facility was designed with community input and offers services such as a community food pantry, early childhood education, a digital learning center, and mental health services. This project represents intentional investment for neighborhoods which have traditionally lacked social resources.
Habitat for Humanity - Home Rehabilitation Program
City of Chesapeake, VA - VA-03
CDBG Funding: $275,000
The Habitat for Humanity South Hampton Roads Chesapeake Home Repair program creates affordable housing solutions that strengthen families and communities in the southeastern area of Virginia. Critical home repairs and accessibility modifications for seniors, persons with disabilities and veterans allow homeowners to avoid being displaced. For low-income homeowners, the Habitat program provides targeted critical repairs and modifications to allow homeowners to remain in their homes and keep their homes "warm, safe, and dry". The program utilizes a family and community centered approach, allowing homeowners to build equity, age in place, improve communities, and sets up families for better outcomes by providing security and stability. Through CDBG funding, 65 homes in South Norfolk have been repaired since 2021 under the Habitat for Humanity South Hampton Roads Critical Home Repair Program.