Community Development Block Grants (CBDG) Mitigation

The Missouri Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) 2024 program is administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (MO DED) under award number B-19-DP-29-0002. This grant initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide financial assistance for mitigation efforts in communities impacted by the 2017 presidentially declared disaster DR-4317. The program focuses on projects that reduce long-term disaster risk and enhance community resilience to future natural hazards similar in nature to those experienced in 2017. MO DED is the state-designated administrator, and all funded activities must meet HUD’s definition of mitigation. Missouri received a total allocation of $41,592,000 in CDBG-MIT funds, with $16,576,745 remaining available for the October 2024 application cycle. At least 50% of the total funding must be spent in HUD-designated “Most Impacted and Distressed” (MID) areas, which include ZIP codes 63935 (Doniphan), 63965 (Van Buren), 64850 (Neosho), 65616 (Branson), and 65775 (West Plains). Additionally, no less than $15.3 million must be allocated to projects serving low-to-moderate income (LMI) populations. Applicants may submit multiple applications, but all projects must meet eligibility requirements, qualify under a national objective, and align with mitigation goals. Eligible applicants include cities, villages, and counties located in one of the 55 FEMA DR–4317 disaster-declared counties that are also outside of HUD entitlement jurisdictions. Projects must fall into one of five categories: General Infrastructure, Public Facility Hardening, Warning Systems, Critical Facility Generators, and Planning and Capacity Building. Each category has defined minimum and maximum funding limits, ranging from $10,000 to $5,000,000, depending on the type of project. The use of funds must directly support mitigation efforts, and planning projects must be the sole purpose of the application to qualify under that category. Applications will be evaluated based on a 100-point scoring system, with criteria varying by category. For infrastructure and facility projects, scoring emphasizes MID and LMI benefit, cost-effectiveness, resilience and green building measures, and alignment with mitigation objectives. Planning and capacity building applications are evaluated on need, strategy, feasibility, and prior experience. Bonus points are available for applicants who include letters of support from state legislators. Matching funds are not explicitly required, but leveraging other funding sources is encouraged and can enhance competitiveness. The 2024 application cycle opens on October 7, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and closes on January 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. All applications must be submitted via Submittable and include required documentation such as public hearing records, signed resolutions, service area maps, engineering or architectural reports, and financial statements. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted. Applications must also include a completed community needs assessment, environmental review, and documentation demonstrating compliance with applicable national objectives, such as LMI area benefit or limited clientele. For additional information or support, applicants are advised to review the CDBG Application Guidelines and attend training sessions or office hours offered by the Department. Questions can be directed to the CDBG team at CDBG.ProjectDevelopment@ded.mo.gov. Environmental review inquiries can be addressed to cdbg-er@ded.mo.gov. All applicants should ensure alignment with the CDBG Mitigation Action Plan and be prepared to respond promptly to revision requests following initial staff review.

Use the HUD LMI Mapping Tool; conduct a public hearing with adequate notice; coordinate between jurisdictions if multi-jurisdictional; maintain consistency across application components.