What sorts of activities are eligible for funding?

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Proposed projects and activities must be eligible under federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) rules and must be in line with the City of Rochester's needs and priorities as identified in its Five Year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan.

CDBG Regulations

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds must be used for projects that:

  • Benefit low and moderate income residents,
  • Fix slums or blighted areas of the City, or
  • Meet a particularly urgent community development need.

A map of specific census tracts within the City of Rochester that are classified as low-income by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development can be viewed here.

Further, CDBG funds may be used for activities that include, but are not limited to: the acquisition of real property; relocation and demolition; rehabilitation of residential and non-residential structures; construction of public facilities and improvements, such as water and sewer facilities, streets, neighborhood centers, and the conversion of school buildings for eligible purposes; public services, such as operating funds for a non-profit organization that serves low and moderate income residents; activities relating to energy conservation and economic development and job creation/retention activities benefiting low and moderate income residents.

CDBG funds cannot be used to buy, build, or reconstruct buildings for the use of local government, to make certain income payments, to fund political activities, or to fund the construction of new housing units by the unit of local government.

The full federal regulations on eligible CDBG activities can be found at 24 CFR §570.200, et al.

Five Year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan Requirements

The City of Rochester uses the current Five Year Consolidated Plan to set goals and determine what types of projects will help us meet these goals. The most recent plan is the 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan, which was adopted in May 2020. Each Five Year Consolidated Plan is created with extensive public input, including public hearings, public notices, meetings with local non-profit and business stakeholders, and other public outreach. 

In addition, each year an Annual Action Plan is adopted by the City Council which sets the projects and activities the City will undertake for the upcoming year. Public input is always welcome, but comment on the received grant applications and proposed projects is the agenda at the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public meeting. Public input on the draft CDBG budget and Annual Action Plan for each year is welcome at a public hearing, held in Council Chambers, usually towards the end of April each year. Other events and input meetings are held in many parts of the City throughout the year to elicit comment on the uses of the Community Development Block Grant funds and the changing needs of the low- and moderate-income communities in our City.

If you are interested in potential CDBG funding, please reach out to our Community Development Coordinator, Kiersten Wright, via email at kiersten.wright@rochesternh.gov