About CDBG

Regulations

CDBG projects must align with one of three national objectives:

  • Principally benefit low and moderate income person
  • Eliminate slums and blight
  • Address imminent health and safety problems

There are a number of regulations that apply. Principal among these are the following:

  • Environmental review.
  • Davis-Bacon wage rates.
  • Civil rights legislation.
  • Competitive procurement.

Eligibility

TNECD administers the "Small Cities" CDBG program. All communities in Tennessee are eligible except those in entitlement communities which are communities that receive CDBG funds directly from HUD. Entitlement areas include Bristol, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Cleveland, Davidson County and Nashville, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knox County and Knoxville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Oak Ridge, Shelby County and Memphis

CDBG funds are only awarded to city and county governments.

Program Design

HUD allows for considerable flexibility in the use of CDBG money as long as applicants stay within the parameters of the legislation and regulations.

Local officials and the "public" must be consulted each year regarding goals, objectives and priorities. The program is designed around this input.

The economic development program operates continuously. The community development program operates on a once-a-year application cycle, with applications submitted in February.

Funding Levels

The level of funding is determined annually through congressional appropriations. Each state receives a protected allocation of CDBG funds, based on a federal formula and does not compete with other states for funding allocations. Tennessee typically receives about $27M per year. 

Fair Housing

A central tenet of the CDBG program, as with all HUD-funded programs, is to affirmatively further fair housing in the communities we serve. Along with requiring subrecipients to conduct local fair housing activities as a condition of each CDBG activity, an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice is conducted every five years to assess and review impediments or barriers that affect the right of fair housing choice. Public and private policies, practices, and procedures affecting housing choice are covered in this analysis. Impediments to fair housing choice are defined as any actions, omissions, or decisions that restrict, or have the effect of restricting, the availability of housing choices, based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or creed. A copy of the current Anaysis of Impediments can be found at the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) website at https://thda.org/research-reports/consolidated-planning.