Department of Community Affairs Concludes Annual Community Development Block Grant Summit

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CDBG

Atlanta, Ga. (October 11, 2024) – The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) hosted its annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Summit in Athens on October 7-10. Georgia awarded more than $33.4 million in CDBG funds to 36 Georgia communities in 2024.

Over the course of the four-day summit, recipients and potential applicants participated in panel discussions led by experts in project development, received training in federal compliance regulations, and learned how to successfully implement a development project. Representatives from multiple agencies – Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts, United States Department of Agriculture, and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority – were in attendance to provide recipients with technical assistance regarding compliance.

“Every year, we look forward to preparing our CDBG recipients for success as they hit the ground running on their project developments,” said DCA Director of Community Finance Kimberly Carter. “As we celebrate 50 years of Community Development Block Grants this year, it is notable that our applicants and recipients are more eager than ever to utilize tools necessary to substantially improving their communities.”

“Community Development Block Grants provide Georgians from all walks of life with improved access to infrastructure, community facilities, and, especially, an improved overall quality of life,” said DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “We at DCA are all looking forward to seeing how this year’s grants transform Georgia communities in the years to come.”

Georgia’s CDBG program is available to non-entitlement local governments and specifically targets rural communities. After a competitive and thorough evaluation process, applications are scored, rated, and ranked. Grants are awarded based on overall merit.

A complete list of 2024 CDBG awards is available online. Photos from the summit as well as the award recipients can be found online. Next year’s application deadline is April 4, 2025.