Dane County review team holds interviews for 2026 CDBG/HOME RFPs; applicants clarify program details

Dane County’s application review team held interviews with nonprofit applicants this week as part of the competitive process to allocate 2026 CDBG and HOME funds, county staff said.

The interviews are intended to clarify information already submitted in written proposals and are not scored, Cindy (Dane County staff) told the panel at the meeting. The county expects to receive about $1.6 million annually in combined Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership funds from HUD for distribution through the RFP process.

Why it matters: These federal funds support housing preservation, repair and mortgage assistance for low- and moderate-income households across Dane County. The review team’s preliminary funding recommendations will go to the full CDBG Commission, and an approved recommendation will be followed by a public hearing to finalize allocations.

The scoring framework approved earlier this year and reiterated to applicants assigns 100 points total: national objective (20), project approach (35), experience and qualifications (15), financial information (15), partnerships (5), shovel-ready status (5), and past performance (5). County staff emphasized that “no other criteria will be used to evaluate the applications or the proposals,” and that all interviews and…