Community Enhancement Grant (CEG)

Background Program Purpose Eligibility Criteria How Grants are Awarded Grant Amounts and Limits Community Enhancement Grant Cycle Preparation Apply for the Community Enhancement Grant (CEG) Additional Information Community Enhancement Grant Cycle Preparing for the Grant and Helpful Information How Grants Are Awarded

Background

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, established under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, provides federal funding to local governments to support community development in low- and moderate-income areas.

The City of Raleigh (CoR) administers these funds through the Community Enhancement Grant (CEG) program to support public services that improve neighborhoods and serve residents in need.

Note: CEG funds are awarded annually through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Funding is reimbursement-based and subject to federal compliance requirements.

Program Purpose

The CEG supports:

Public service programs benefiting low- and moderate-income neighborhoods
Innovative services that improve quality of life
Agencies with the capacity to manage federal grants

No program may receive CEG funds for more than two consecutive years.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

Address a HUD CDBG National Objective:
(24 CFR 570.200(a)(2) and 570.208(a)(1), (2))
Align with the City of Raleigh’s Consolidated Plan Goals
Propose an activity eligible under 24 CFR §570.201 and not ineligible under 24 CFR §570.207

Threshold Requirements:

Be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit or faith-based organization
Serve low-to-moderate-income Raleigh residents
Demonstrate capacity to meet federal regulations
Be in good standing with the City (no delinquencies or unresolved findings)
Provide audited financials if requesting $25,000 or more
Funding requested must not exceed:
- 25% of total actual operating expenses (last fiscal year)
- 50% of the proposed project budget

Eligible Project Types

Public services as defined in 24 CFR §570.201(e), including but not limited to:

Employment services (e.g., job training)
Fair housing counseling
Education programs
Services for seniors or homeless individuals
Childcare, crime prevention, health, or substance abuse services
Recreational or energy conservation services

Services must be new or significantly expanded.
Example: Expanding a senior meal program to include job training in food preparation may qualify, while maintaining the same meal program would not.

See HUD guidance on eligible public service activities

How Grants are Awarded

The Housing and Neighborhoods Department allocates funding through an annual competitive process to nonprofit and faith-based organizations that support services for low-income residents or other qualifying populations.

Grant Amounts and Limits

Total Available Funds: $200,000
Grant Range Request: $20,000–$50,000

Community Enhancement Grant Cycle

Dates	Grant Cycle Stage
October	Request for Proposals (RFP) released to the public Mandatory information sessions for agencies wishing to apply
December	Proposal submission deadline
January-March	Review Committee evaluates and scores all proposals
March-April	Review Committee recommendations made public as part of the Annual Action Plan process
May	Final funding decisions made by Raleigh City Council
June-July	Contracting period for awarded grants

Bookmark this page for updates and resources.

Preparation

To help prospective applicants prepare:

Use the CEG Preparation Tool to better understand requirements and get answers to frequently asked questions.
Note: This is not the application itself.

Start early! Use our preparedness tool and access development support to strengthen your proposal.

Stay Informed:

Subscribe to Community Development News on MyRaleigh Subscriptions to be notified when the next RFP is released.

Other Opportunities:

Explore additional funding through:

• City of Raleigh Arts Grants

• Human Services Agency Grant Program

For more information, please contact ComplianceandPlanningUnit@raleighnc.gov and include "Community Enhancement Grant" in the subject line.

Apply for the Community Enhancement Grant (CEG)

The City of Raleigh Community Enhancement Grant (CEG) Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2025-2026 program year beginning July 1, 2025, is now closed as of Dec. 3, 2024.

Thank you for your interest in the CEG competitive grant opportunity. It is an annual opportunity and not an ongoing opportunity. This City of Raleigh funding opportunity is a small amount in total ($200,000) to be divided among selected sub-recipients providing services in the Raleigh area.

Please do not be discouraged if you miss this year's opportunity. Please take advantage of this time to access the preparedness tool and work on the development process for next year. Preparation details are provided below.

The City of Raleigh Community Enhancement Grant awards funding annually to local non-profits and faith-based organizations through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Nonprofits may apply for $20,000 to $50,000 to provide public services in the Raleigh area to persons impacted by low-to-moderate-incomes. This grant is part of the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and applicants must demonstrate the capacity to meet federal documentation requirements if awarded a grant. Non-profit and faith-based organization can apply and be awarded funds no more than two consecutive years.

Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Interested non-profit and faith-based organizations are required to attend one of two virtual pre-proposal Information Sessions to be held online Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. If you notice that you missed the opportunity to attend one of the mandatory sessions, please subscribe to “Community Development News” on MyRaleigh Subscriptions and receive details on the next opportunity.

To participate in one of the mandatory Information Sessions, please access from one of the MS Teams links below:

Additional Information

This year’s applicant project should address “providing services that increase the self-sufficiency of persons with low-to moderate-incomes.” It is one of the priorities outlined in the City’s 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan.

The grant program is funded through the City’s federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the goal of the CDBG program is to support communities by providing economic development opportunities, suitable living environments, including decent housing to Raleigh residents with low- to moderate-incomes.

Award amounts may range from $20,000.00 (least amount) and will not exceed $50,000.00.

To be eligible for Community Enhancement Grant awards, project activities must meet the following criteria:

Applicant must address one of the HUD CDBG National Objectives listed in 24 CFR 570.200(a)(2) and 570.208(a)(1) and (2)
Applicant must address one of the City of Raleigh's Consolidated Plan Goals and Priorities
Applicant must include eligible activity as set forth in 24 CFR §570.201 and not ineligible as set forth in 24 CFR §570.207

In addition, the following thresholds must be met:

Applicant must be a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit or faith-based organization
The maximum level of funding that can be requested is 25 percent of the agency's total actual operating expenses and 50 percent of the agency's project budget for last completed fiscal year
Applicant can request between $20,000 and $50,000
Applicant requesting $25,000 or more must include audited financial statements
Applicants must not be delinquent on any CIRT loans or have reporting or monitoring findings
Applicants must serve low-to-moderate income Raleigh residents and be able to document and provide documentation of income eligibility

Community Enhancement Grant Cycle

The annual grant cycle is similar each year and generally follows the sequence below. The schedule reflects dates for the FY25-26 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026) grant cycle.

Dates	Grant Cycle Stage
Oct. 1	Request for Proposals (RFP) application made public
Oct. 15 Oct. 22	Mandatory information sessions for agencies wishing to apply
Dec. 3	Deadline for proposals
January-March	Review Committee reviews and scores proposals
March-April	Review Committee makes recommendations for funding public, as part of the Annual Action Plan process
May	City Council makes the final decision on funding
June-July	Contract period for awarded grants

Preparing for the Grant and Helpful Information

A Pre-application Assessment and FAQ tool has been created to provide an understanding of the requirements associated with the Community Enhancement Grant and answer frequently asked questions. The Pre-application Assessment and FAQ tool is not the application.

If you would like to be notified when the next RFP is made public, please subscribe to Community Development News on MyRaleigh Subscriptions.

To learn about other grant opportunities including the City’s Arts Grant and Human Services Agency Grant Program, please visit the City’s grant opportunities page.

How Grants Are Awarded

The Housing and Neighborhoods Department supports new or expanded services by nonprofit organizations to low-income residents or other populations such as seniors, abused children, battered spouses, severely disabled adults, persons experiencing homelessness, illiterate adults, persons living with AIDS, or migrant farm workers. Funds are distributed in an annual competition.

The Community Enhancement Grant is given each year to nonprofit and faith-based organizations to build human capacity within blighted or low- and moderate-income areas. Funds for this program are given through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. Applicants are judged based on the soundness of the program proposal, the fiscal responsibility of the organization, the mission and track record of the organization, and other program requirements.

For more information, please contact federalprograms@raleighnc.gov and include "Community Enhancement Grant" in the subject line.

Information for Non-profit Organizations

Federal Regulations

Related Events

All events

Sep

16

Arts Commission

6 p.m. • Tuesday

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Community Enhancement Grant (CEG)

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Background

Program Purpose

Eligibility Criteria

How Grants are Awarded

Grant Amounts and Limits

Community Enhancement Grant Cycle