City of Cheyenne to Decline CDBG Entitlement Grant Funds After 2023

Published on December 21, 2022

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CHEYENNE – After careful consideration and evaluating multiple risks and compliance factors, the City of Cheyenne will submit a resolution for approval by the governing body, to decline the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Program and phase out of the program after the 2023 award year. The city will request an indefinite suspension of these Entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), beginning with the program year 2024.

The City of Cheyenne received its CDBG Entitlement status in 1975 and has worked diligently to provide these dedicated funds to local agencies for housing, community, and economic development activities, as well as assistance to low-and moderate-income persons and special needs populations.

Since 2017, when the City of Casper elected to disengage from and decline their CDBG Entitlement Program funds, Cheyenne has been the only Entitlement city in Wyoming to administer CDBG funds. The challenges of effectively managing the program with decreasing allocations while also adhering to the growing number of federal requirements have led to the determination that the risks outweigh any further benefit to the city. The time expenditure to meet the specific and increasingly restrictive eligibility, compliance, and reporting requirements have placed too great a burden on staff, subgrantees, and our local contractor agencies. 

The city’s Housing and Community Development staff will work closely with regional and federal HUD offices in the upcoming months to ensure that all requirements will be met in a timely manner. Staff will also begin scheduling a series of informational meetings with grantees to assist with the completion and close out of current projects and to transition toward applying for neighborhood development and CDBG grant opportunities through the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA).

Qualifying nonprofits and applicants will still be able to apply for CDBG grant funds through the State of Wyoming. Grants Manager, Renee Smith said, “We understand that many of our local agencies depend on grant funds to stretch their already tight budgets, and we are committed to supporting their grant-seeking efforts through the WCDA.” 

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