CDBG Interior Page

Purpose

The Urgent Need Grant Program provides funding to help local governments address severe, unforeseen conditions that pose an immediate threat to public health or welfare and have occurred within the past six months. Applicants must document the emergency, show all other funding options have been exhausted, and ensure activities meet federal eligibility guidelines. The scope of the Urgent Need project must focus solely on the immediate threat. Long-term solutions must be pursued through regular CDBG funding grants or other sources.

Qualifying Projects

A total of $100,000 is allocated for the Urgent Need Program in 2025. This program funds projects that address an urgent need resulting from a sudden and severe natural or other disaster. Eligible expenses include:

• Activities designed to meet urgent, health and welfare needs and for which no other financial resources are available to meet such needs
• Reimbursement for project costs can be effective with the date of the disaster upon prior approval by Commerce
• Administration costs for grant funds (up to 12.5% of the grant or $35,000, whichever is less)

CDBG National Objective

All CDBG projects must meet a national objective and involve an eligible activity under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. National objectives are 1) benefiting Low- and Moderate-Income persons (LMI), 2) aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight, and 3) meet a need having a particular urgency (urgent need).

All activities proposed for in applications for the Urgent Need Grant Program must meet the Urgent Need national requirement to be eligible.

Selection Criteria

Download the 2025 Urgent Need Grant Guidelines for more information on program requirements. Key considerations include:

• The conditions are such that they pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community.
• These conditions must be of recent origin and have become urgent within six months following the disaster.
• Applications must be certified as an urgent need by the agency having jurisdiction over said conditions.
• The project must demonstrate that no other financial resources are available to address the conditions. This includes financing the project themselves or having access to any local, state, or federal funding resources.

Matching Funds

Funding for the Urgent Need Grant Program is available only when no other financial resources are accessible to address the emergency. Other sources of funding MUST have been investigated and MUST be unavailable. Documentation certifying this fact must be included with the application.