Explore CDBG
As a community development professional who works on projects funded through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), you may have wondered how to use CDBG funds to:
- Create transformative impact in your community, improve the lives of all residents, and especially those with low and moderate income levels
- Develop strategies that bring partners and resources together, leveraging funds and building community assets
- Implement your program effectively, increasing the likelihood of successful projects
To help answer these questions, HUD has created Explore CDBG, a collection of online technical assistance products.
Featured Product
Basically CDBG Online Training
Learn about the basic CDBG requirements and issues related to the administration and implementation of the program.
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Basically CDBG Online Training
This curriculum provides a suite of information and tools to help CDBG grantees understand basic CDBG requirements and drill down into more nuanced issues related to the administration and implementation of the program.
CDBG Timeliness and Best Practices to Achieve Timely Performance
This video explains the timely expenditure and distribution requirements of the CDBG program and how timely expenditure of funds contributes to grantees’ overall performance. Viewers will learn best practices for proactively managing CDBG grant funds to avoid being untimely. The October 21, 2021 CPD Memo: Restarting the Corrective Action Process for Untimely Expenditure provides new guidance for the return to corrective actions for untimely expenditures.
How to Use CDBG for Public Facilities and Improvements
This six-module video describes how to integrate infrastructure activities into your overall community development strategy and why that's important from both federal and local perspectives.
How to Use CDBG for Public Service Activities
This four-module video describes eligible and ineligible CDBG public service activities, how to ensure your public service program meets a national objective, and considerations for building an effective public service program.
How to Use CDBG for Housing Activities
This six-module video presents actionable information for using CDBG for eligible housing activities and leveraging local and private funds to meet the housing needs of your community. Viewers will learn about key considerations in housing program design and the kinds of housing activities that can be funded with CDBG, such as housing rehabilitation, home ownership, and rental assistance.
CDBG 101: An Overview of National Objectives and Eligible Activities
This introductory overview of CDBG national objectives and activities orients participants to key aspects of the CDBG program. Through discussion and examples, this video describes CDBG national objectives and eligible activities.
CDBG Formula and Appropriation Process
This white board presentation explains the federal process for making CDBG funds available to grantees. By the end, you will understand the formula and data used to determine specific grantee allocations, and what variables affect the amount each grantee receives.
The Urban County Qualification Process - Requirements, Procedures and Deadlines
This video helps urban counties understand the re-qualification process for urban counties. The video also provides information for communities seeking to qualify as an urban county for the first time.
Smart Management of Program Income
Program income opportunities enable CDBG grantees to extend and leverage their CDBG funds. After watching this white board video, viewers will be able to define program income, identify its benefits, describe activities that can generate it, and understand how to plan and manage it.
CDBG Grant Lifecycle: Part 1 - Planning
This Prezi presentation guides viewers through the CDBG grant lifecycle from beginning to end, including discussions on how the Consolidated and Annual Action Plans help grantees develop goals and strategies for CDBG investment.
CDBG Grant Lifecycle: Part 2 - Implementation
This Prezi presentation dives into the CDBG grant lifecycle focusing on administration and program evaluation. The presentation covers how to save time, control administrative costs, and use risk assessment and performance measurement to maximize your CDBG investments.
Using CDBG for Disaster Response and Recovery
Disasters strike more communities than many people realize. It is important for communities to be prepared. In this webinar, discover how to design your Consolidated and Annual Action Plans to be ready to reprogram funds if necessary, and explore ways to use CDBG for responding to disasters and long-term recovery activities.
How Communities Can Use the CDBG Program to Create Economic Opportunities
CDBG and the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program are effective funding resources for economic development. This video covers ways to leverage funds, create jobs and stimulate investment. CDBG-funded economic opportunities provide long-term financial benefits to communities, people's livelihoods, and personal wealth.
The Role of the CDBG Program in Creating Decent Housing
CDBG-funded housing programs and investments help households with low and moderate incomes secure decent, safe, affordable housing and can be a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization by leveraging other private and public funds. This video reviews how to successfully use CDBG to support residents' housing needs and as a way to revitalize your community.
The Role of the CDBG Program in Creating a Suitable Living Environment
This video discusses how to engage the community and use data to determine how best to invest public dollars in infrastructure and public services. It presents a holistic approach to community development by investing in public facilities and services to enhance residents' quality of life.
The Role of the CDBG Program in Creating a Viable Community
CDBG is a flexible program that helps grantees improve their communities. Through featured projects, the video introduces the product series and highlights the hallmarks of the CDBG program.
HUD has collected project profiles from CDBG grantees across the country. Each profile provides a snapshot of a project, detailing place, people and partners and highlights a best practice or innovative use of CDBG funds.
The multimedia scrapbook illustrates the stories of several people who have benefited from a program or project funded with the CDBG program. View the self-guided scrapbook to learn how other grantees have helped individuals and communities and how CDBG funds might be used in your community to achieve similar benefits.
Activity Type
Suitable Living Environment
Invest CDBG funds in infrastructure and public services to improve the physical environment and residents’ lives in your community.
Decent Housing
Improve housing conditions in your community using CDBG to fund rehabilitation, energy efficient upgrades, and housing solutions for people with low- and moderate-income.
Economic Development
Explore how to use CDBG for economic development, including ways to leverage other funds, to create jobs and stimulate investment.
Neighborhood Revitalization
CDBG is a flexible program that helps grantees improve their communities. Use CDBG funds in innovative and strategic ways to meet a broad range of community needs.
Program Administration
Learn the technicalities of the CDBG program, how they affect you, and tools and strategies for implementing your program.
Grant Lifecycle
Program Impact
Understand hallmarks of the CDBG program and how it can benefit your community. Discover what projects your colleagues are funding across the country and explore how CDBG has improved the lives of individuals and families.
Planning and Strategy
Improve quality of life in your community using CDBG funds to provide housing solutions, economic opportunities, recreational and neighborhood infrastructure, and services for people with low and moderate incomes, including seniors and other special populations.
Program Administration
Meet key objectives of the CDBG program. Learn the technicalities of the CDBG program, how they affect you, and tools and strategies for implementing your program.
Program Design and Implementation
Be inspired by other grantees through project profiles and the multimedia scrapbook. Learn more about how to implement different types of CDBG activities – to develop decent housing, ensure suitable living environments, and foster economic opportunities.
Reporting and Evaluation
Use reporting and evaluation tools to focus on high leverage investments and maximize your CDBG funds.