Deadline: 15-Sep-21
Applications are now open for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Grant.
Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the State of Montana, Department of Commerce was awarded Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG CARES) to support communities as they respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) allocated additional Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds to each state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Funding Information
- Montana received $10,174,175 in CDBG-CV funds in three allocations (CDBG-CV1, CDBG-CV2, and CDBG-CV3).
- At least $3,925,296, the amount of Montana’s CDBG-CV1 allocation, must be granted to applicants other than Montana’s three entitlement cities.
Eligible Activities
- Activities funded through CDBG CARES must:
- Prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Primarily benefit Montanans whose incomes are low or moderate
- Avoid duplication of benefits from other local, state, or federal sources of funds
- Montana will use CDBG CARES to fund activities that:
- Improve and Sustain Public Facilities
- Provide Vital Public Services
- Preserve and Construct Affordable Housing / Reduce Homelessness
- Examples of eligible activities:
- Public Facilities: Improvements to HVAC for ventilation; expansion to allow for social distancing; acquisition, rehabilitation, or construction of a public facility, such as a park, that allows for outdoor recreation and social distancing
- Public Services: Support, including equipment, for senior centers, head start centers, shelters, health clinics, daycares, food banks
- Housing/Homelessness: Acquire, develop, and/or rehabilitate shelters; acquire or convert property to affordable housing to prevent overcrowding.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include towns, cities, and counties. Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula – known as entitlement areas – are eligible applicants for CDBG CARES, but CDBG CARES regulations limit the amount of CDBG CARES the State of Montana can award to these entitlement areas.
- Other entities such as tribes, non-profits, public housing authorities, etc., although not eligible directly, may apply in partnership with an eligible applicant.
- Native American tribes, nonprofits, and other entities – such as public housing authorities, community action agencies, and economic development organizations – are not eligible to directly apply for CDBG-CV funds, however, they may be partners in projects or subrecipients of funding through eligible local governments.
- Local governments may submit more than one application for CDBG-CV funds. Local governments submitting multiple applications must prioritize their applications. Local governments that have an open CDBG grant are eligible to apply for CDBG-CV funds.
For more information, visit https://comdev.mt.gov/Programs-and-Boards/Community-Development-Block-Grant-Program/CARES
