Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants And Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
LCOG outlines new CDBG and HOME funding opportunities for Port Royal
Summary
At the Feb. 11 Port Royal council meeting, Lena Clinch of the Lowcountry Council of Governments detailed state CDBG and regional HOME program funding, deadlines and local eligibility rules — including roughly $8 million for infrastructure and a required 10% local match.
Lena Clinch of the Lowcountry Council of Governments told Port Royal—s council on Feb. 11 that the South Carolina Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program will provide opportunities for infrastructure and community projects in the 2026 program year.
Clinch said the state has allocated approximately "$20,100,000" to the CDBG program and described three broad funding categories: community development, business development and regional planning. She said the community infrastructure category alone has about $8,000,000 set aside, with a maximum grant award of $1,000,000.
The details matter for municipal planning: Clinch said spring-round applications address community infrastructure and are due in March/April, while fall-round categories (community enrichment and local priorities) have later deadlines. She also described a "ready-to-go" disaster category for shovel-ready projects (60-day readiness) with $750,000 reserved and a $500,000 maximum award.
Why it matters: the grants fund water, sewer, drainage, roads and other capital improvements that can change which projects a small town can deliver. Clinch emphasized that “the CDBG program does require a 10% match for all projects,” and encouraged officials to keep local priority descriptions broad so applications are not disqualified.
Clinch also summarized HOME consortium resources administered regionally for homeowner assistance. She said the Beaufort-area HOME consortium (Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties and local municipalities) focuses on rehabilitating substandard housing, improving accessibility and increasing affordable housing availability for income-qualified homeowners.
Clinch provided local eligibility numbers: in Beaufort County a one-person household qualifies as low-to-moderate income at $61,700 or less, and a four-person household at $88,100 or less. She named contacts for further questions (HOME contacts Tiffany Dantzler and Felicia Knopf) and noted the state is updating its consolidated plan; public comments on the draft action plan were due to Lisa Huff at the Department of Commerce by Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.
Council members asked practical questions about application timing and project closeout. Clinch said a closeout letter is required to free up a locality to apply if it already has two open CDBG grants and urged the town to rank its top three priorities for LCOG submission.
The council did not take action on grants at the meeting; staff and LCOG will coordinate next steps for applications and outreach to residents.
