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Date: 10/25/2022
AMHERST – Applications for Amherst’s allotment of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds were released at the end of September and are are currently open. The money is intended to fund projects which improve life for moderate- and low-income residents.
These funds originate from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD sends funds to states annually. The state of Massachusetts has designated Amherst as a Mini-Entitlement Community, which means that each year it is eligible for up to $825,000 of CDBG funds. However, according to CDBG committee member and Town Planner Ben Breger, this year’s grants will be 24-month grants instead of the usual 12, and as such, $1.65 million in CDBG is available to Amherst applicants.
The grants are broken into two categories: social service projects and non-social service projects. Breger listed examples of social service projects as “homeless shelters like Amherst Survival Center, literacy programs, youth development programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, job skills training, homelessness prevention and housing, outreach type work such as people trying to prevent addiction”
He gave examples of non-social service projects which could broadly be classified as infrastructural projects, “a new sidewalk or multi-use path that leads to a playground in a moderate- or low-income part of town, ADA accessibility improvements like wheelchair ramps, housing repairs and developments.”
Applicants must be part of a government agency, private service provider, nonprofit or some other entity that “can handle grants and the reporting that comes with it,” but Breger did not discourage motivated individuals from the grant either.
“I receive requests pretty frequently from people with ideas, and I let them know to either reach out to an existing organization that might be able to do that idea, or to consider starting a nonprofit and formalizing that type of work,” Berger said.
The application process is roughly six months long. It begins with a public hearing hosted by the CDBG committee to determine the urgent needs of the town, this year they utilized a digital survey as well. This information is synthesized into a list of the town’s priorities. Applications are released, and stay open for roughly a month and a half. Once the portal is closed, the committee reviews the applications for two weeks and generates clarifying questions, and then applicants have a two week period to respond.
The committee ranks applications according to their relevance in relation to the community priorities list. The highest ranking projects are presented at a public forum and public hearing to generate further feedback. The committee makes its decision and recommends these applications to the town manager. The town manager makes their decision, and then this final packet of winning applications is sent to the state’s review board. Breger said that the state usually approves everything the town sends due to the high level of screening that occurs at the municipal level.
The program is “highly competitive,” said Breger. This is due in part to the limtations the state places on the grants. Only five social service projects may be picked, and only three non-social service projects. Furthermore, only 20 percent of the total funding may go toward social service projects, while 65 percent goes to non-social service projects, and the remaining 15 percent goes toward administrative costs.
Breger said that “the goal of block grant funding is to help participants become as self-sufficient as possible.” He offers his support to all those who are interested.
“We’re always encouraging new applicants, and it can be a daunting task when you look at the application and everything that’s required, but it’s my job to help run this program, so I’m always able to, willing to and happy to talk with anyone who’s interested in applying and walking them through the process,” he said.
Applications are currently open. Those interested can visit the CDBG Advisory Committee website to access the Request for Proposal (RFP). Applications are due by Nov. 4.