Report: Reform, Don't Eliminate, the Community Development Block Grant Program

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is under the microscope. As the Trump Administration considers eliminating the program, the Urban Institute recommends a less-is-more approach.

1 minute read

April 19, 2017, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"In a policy brief published last week, the Urban Institute recommends changing the eligibility rules so that CDBG funding would be spread across fewer communities, providing greater assistance to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods," writes J.B. Wogan.

The report follows news that the Trump Administration budget blueprint would eliminate funding for the program. Among the recommendations included in the Urban Institute's report: an increased amount of funding for a program that has been reduced to $3 billion annually in 2015, from a high of $15 billion in the late 1970s. The number of communities that qualify for CDBG funding in that time has also increased dramatically—86 percent since 1980, according to the report.

According to Wogan, the Urban Institute's recommendations for reform of the CDBG program mirrors that of the Obama Administration in 2013—those recommendations were opposed, however, by groups who represent CDBG recipients. Any recommendation that would reduce the number of possible grantees is likely to encounter opposition for the foreseeable future.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 in Governing

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive