Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
Community Self-Help Program
Purpose
The Community Self-Help program is designed to address local community needs such as water, wastewater, downtown improvements, recreation and other CDBG eligible activities. The Community Self-Help program is a resource for communities to meet local needs with less money.
Self-Help involves the use of a community's own resources (human, material and financial) to solve problems for less cost. This approach begins with the answer to a key question, "What can we afford?" and then initiates a local focus of control based on the applicant's design and plans for solving the problem. Self-Help is a collective effort of people working together to create or improve a service or facility (for example, a water system) that they will use in common, and which is not exclusively owned by any one person or household. Self-Help and volunteerism are not synonymous. Self-Help includes the use of volunteers as one technique among many that can reduce the cost of a needed community improvement.
Available Funds
A total of up to $1,000,000 has been set aside for the Community Self-Help program.
Grant Size
The maximum grant size is $100,000.
Threshold
The applicant must have no unresolved audit or monitoring findings. All projects must benefit a minimum of 51% low and-moderate income persons and show a 30% cost savings. Applicants may apply for a Self-Help grant regardless of the status of open grants.
Submission Date
Assessment forms will be accepted beginning June 11, 2008.
The Community, Local Government, and Financial Information Assessment forms must be completed and sent to MDA. Upon review, MDA will make a decision whether or not to invite an application. Only invited applications will be considered due to the limited amount of funds available. The letter inviting an application will state the amount of CDBG funds that may be requested.
The following documents are available for download:
The following documents are available for download once invited: