Housing projects can compete for Alaska CDBG grants, with applications due Dec. 4

Applications for Alaska's Community Development Block Grant program are due Friday, Dec. 4, and for the first time this cycle, housing projects can compete for the money. The state announced the change Friday as it opened the federal fiscal year 2026 application round.

The Division of Community and Regional Affairs said it will have approximately $2.5 million in current and prior-year funds to commit to projects chosen by its Application Selection Committee through a competitive process. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a single community can win at most $850,000. The division said it cannot allow an extension of the Dec. 4 deadline.

Applications go through the Digital Grants Management System, the state's online grants portal, where the funding opportunity announcement went live Friday. Division staff will host virtual and hybrid application workshops beginning in October and running through November, and will help communities assemble submissions in the system. Paper applications are no longer accepted, and [email protected] takes general questions.

Local governments are the primary eligible applicants under the program: any Alaska municipal government except Anchorage. Non-profits may join as co-applicants, and municipalities and boroughs may apply together. Federal rules require that at least 51 percent of the people a project benefits be low- and moderate-income, as HUD defines the term.

Awards follow in the spring.