The Alaska Community Development Block Grant, a federal grant funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help vulnerable people, is gearing up for its next cycle of awards.
The goal of the grant is to fund a project that addresses issues affecting health and safety of low-income residents in categories of community development, planning and special economic development.
Any Alaskan municipal government is eligible for the grant, with a cap of $850,000 per community. The program requests at least 25 percent of the total cost be paid for by other sources.
“I am looking for prospective projects in the community,” borough grants administrator Carolann Wooton said this week. “I need proposals to me by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, to include them for the packet for the assembly on the 12th.”
From the submitted applications, the borough assembly will select one project to submit to Fairbanks headquarters for consideration in December. Awards are set to be announced in February 2020.
Approximately $2 million is available this grant cycle, according to the state website on grant administration.
For the last two years, the borough applied for funding for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements to the public safety building, and was denied. Last year, the project was two votes shy of funding, and judges cited limited impact and a budget that did not explain administrative costs for points lost in the score sheet.
Reapplying this year will be the Haines Sheldon Museum seeking an elevator and wheelchair-accessible entrance, and Haines Senior Village seeking a carport.
Additional applicants can email Wooton at [email protected] with proposals. Proposals should be no more than two pages, including a title of the project, scope of work, rationale of community benefits, eligibility for CDBG, budget and matched funding.