Through the CARES Act, the State of New Hampshire was allocated approximately $5.4 million to be deployed under the Community Development Block Grant program to respond to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). These funds, known as CDBG-CV, are to be used specifically for the prevention of, preparation for, and response to COVID-19.
In response to current needs and based on public input, $3.7 million was allocated to support public service activities, $850,000 to microenterprise grants and technical assistance programming and $500,000 to support other economic development needs in 2021. Additional information on CDBG-CV deployment can be found on CDFA’s COVID-19 Resources page.
CDBG-CV Public Services Program
New Hampshire municipalities can apply for CDBG-CV funds to support eligible Public Services. High-priority services include childcare, food banks, legal services, as well as health, mental health and substance abuse services, among others (view the full list here). New Hampshire counties, cities and towns can sub-grant these funds to eligible nonprofits serving their communities.
CDBG-CV Public Services applications can be structured as up to an 18-month project. The expectation is that these projects/programs will start no sooner than January 1, 2021. All funds must be expended and claimed by June 30, 2022.
Eligible applicants include all New Hampshire counties, cities and towns with the exception of entitlement communities. Entitlement communities include Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Rochester and Dover.
A municipality may apply for a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $500,000 in CDBG-CV Public Service funds. This is in addition to the annual funding limits in other CDBG-CV programs or other CDBG program areas (Housing, Public Facilities, Economic Development). The final grant amount awarded to the municipality is per the discretion of CDFA and will be determined as part of the evaluation and approval process.
Application Process
The CDBG-CV Public Service application is now available via CDFA’s Grants Management System (www.nhcdfagrants.org). The deadline to submit applications is Friday, September 25, 2020 at 4:00 PM. Additional information and resources for municipalities and nonprofits interested in applying for funds can be found on CDFA’s Resource Hub. These resources include:
Emergency Housing and Public Facilities
Housing and Public Facilities projects that clearly demonstrate consistency with the directive of the CARES Act to prepare for, respond to or recover from the COVID-19 pandemic; and, which also meet CDFA’s CDBG Emergency Program criteria may be submitted through the CDBG Emergency Program application process. Applicants with potential projects must contact CDFA for a pre-application meeting to determine if the proposed project meets the criteria. Additional information is available here.
Additional COVID-19 Information and Resources
CDFA is continuing to work diligently to respond to community needs, provide flexibility and deploy resources as quickly as possible to support critical work. For more information on other COVID-19 resources available to our current grantees/borrowers, municipalities, nonprofits and businesses, please visit: https://nhcdfa.org/covid-19-resources/.
