Community Development

Other Funds

Funding Sources for Improvement of Water/Sewer Systems, Other Public Infrastructure, and Housing
The Texas Community Development Program (TCDP) provides grant funding to cities and counties for improvement of water/sewer systems, other public facilities and infrastructure, and housing. The non-entitlement portion of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). The Texas Community Development Program includes the funds listed below.

Community Development Fund

Planning and Capacity Building Fund

The Community Development Fund is available on a biennial basis through regional competition for assistance to eligible cities and counties to address public facilities and housing needs. Eligible activities include infrastructure projects such as sewer and water system improvements, street, bridge, and drainage improvements, and housing rehabilitation.

For more information, contact the Environment & Development Department at 817/695-9210.

 Funding is available on a biennial basis through a statewide competition to provide assistance to eligible cities and counties for planning activities that assess local needs, develop strategies to address local needs, build or improve local infrastructure capacity, or that include other needed planning elements. The planning process undertaken with these funds should result in an improved local capacity to identify long and short-term needs and to develop implementable strategies to address the identified community needs.

Small Town Environment Program
(STEP) Fund

Disaster Relief/Urgent Need Fund

Funds are available for grants on a direct award basis to cities and counties to provide grant assistance to cities and communities recognizing the need and willingness to solve water and sewer problems through Small Towns Environment Program (STEP) self-help techniques. The STEP approach to solving water and sewer needs recognizes affordability factors related to the construction and operations/maintenance of the necessary water or sewer improvements and then initiates a local focus of control based on the capacity and readiness of the community's residents to solve the problem through self-help.

By utilizing the community's own resources (human, material and financial), the necessary water or sewer construction costs, engineering costs, and related administration costs can be reduced significantly from the cost for the installation of the same improvements through conventional construction methods. TCDP staff will provide guidance, assistance, and support to community leaders and residents willing to use self-help to solve their water and sewer problems.

The Disaster Relief Fund assists communities on an as-needed basis for recovery from natural disasters, such as a drought, flooding, or tornadoes, where the Governor has proclaimed a State disaster or has requested a federal disaster declaration. Depending on the nature and extent of the damage caused by the natural disaster, priority for the use of TCDP funds is the restoration of basic human needs such as water and sewer facilities and housing.

Assistance is available through the Urgent Need fund for projects that include activities to address water or sewer urgent needs that have resulted in either death, illness, injury, or pose an imminent threat to life or health within the affected applicant's jurisdiction.

See also:

Economic Development

Supports rural business development, retention and expansion by providing funds for public infrastructure, real estate development, or the elimination of deteriorated conditions.

Renewable Energy

Grants for renewable energy technologies to help rural communities reduce energy costs for their water and wastewater treatment facilities.