Indian Community Development Block Grant Program

What is the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program?

The ICDBG Program provides eligible grantees with direct grants for use in developing viable Indian and Alaska Native Communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, primarily for low and moderate income persons. Projects funding by the ICDBG program must principally benefit low-and-moderate-income persons (24 CFR 1003.208). The program regulations provide for two categories of grants, Single Purpose and Imminent Threat:

Single-Purpose Grants

Single purpose grants are awarded on a competition basis pursuant to the terms published in an annual Notice of Funding Opportunity& (NOFO).

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants for assistance include any Indian tribe, band, group, or nation(including Alaska Indians, Aleut, and Eskimos) or Alaska Native village which has established a relationship to the Federal government as defined in the program regulations. In certain instances, tribal organizations may be eligible to apply.

Categories

The ICDBG program can provide funding for recipients in the following categories:

Housing
Housing rehabilitation, land acquisition to support new housing construction, and under limited circumstances, new housing construction.

Community Facilities
Infrastructure construction, e.g., roads, water and sewer facilities; and, single or multipurpose community buildings.

Economic Development
Wide variety of commercial, industrial, agricultural projects which may be recipient owned and operated or which may be owned and/or operated by a third party.

Program Administration

The ICDBG program is administered by the six area ONAPs with policy development and oversight provided by ONAP Headquarters. Each Area ONAP is responsible for a geographic jurisdiction that includes from 26 to over 200 eligible applicants.

Imminent Threat Grants

The Secretary of HUD may set aside up to $5 million of each year’s allocation for the noncompetitive, first come-first served, funding of grants to eliminate or lessen problems which pose an imminent threat to public health or safety of tribal residents. PIH 2025-09 for the Indian Community Development Block Grant – Imminent Threat (ICDBG-IT) program. The Notice supersedes Program Guidance 2018-04, Imminent Threat Grants.

Related to Imminent Threats, HUD published FR-6301-N-02 Regulatory and Administrative Requirement Flexibilities Available to Native American Programs During CY 2022 and CY 2023 to Tribal Grantees To Assist With Recovery and Relief Efforts on Behalf of Families Affected by Presidentially Declared Disasters. This Federal Register Notice provides waivers and flexibilities from HUD requirements for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG), Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG), and Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG) for grantees located in areas that are covered by Presidentially Declared Disasters (PDDs). Refer to Section B. 1. and 2. for a list of ICDBG waivers. View waiver for 2024-2025.