If you’re involved in an organization that works on affordable housing or economic improvement in low-to-moderate income communities, you might be interested in applying for funds from the Community Development Block Grants allocated to the City of Marietta.  The city posted the following announcement about the online application meeting to launch the process:

“The City of Marietta will hold an application meeting for the opening of the CDBG Public Services application for program year 2024 (July 1, 2024- June 30, 2025), on Thursday, November 30th, 2023 at 10:30 AM. The meeting will be held via WebEx. All attendees must email Kelsey Thompson-White with their name and organization to register and receive a meeting invitation link. Applications will be accepted from December 1st, 2023 through January 26th, 2024. Applications should be submitted in-person to the Community Development Office no later than 4:00 P.M. on Friday, January 26th ,2024. The application will be available at https://www.mariettaga.gov/472/Forms on November 30th.  

“ATTENDANCE BY SOMEONE IN THE ORGANIZATION IS REQUIRED TO APPLY FOR FUNDING.

“The City of Marietta supports Equal Opportunity and Fair Housing, and does not discriminate in any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, sex, familial status, age, religion or disability. 

“Please direct all comments/inquiries to Kelsey Thompson-White, 268 Lawrence St., Suite 200, Marietta, GA 30060; Telephone: 770-794-5437 via Google Voiceor Email: kthompson@mariettaga.gov”

About the Community Development Block Grant program

The Community Development Block grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The HUD website describes the program as follows:

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. The program is authorized under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Public Law 93-383, as amended 42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq. The program was designed to reinforce several important values and principles of community development:

• CDBG’s flexibility empowers people and communities to design and implement strategies tailored to their own needs and priorities.
• CDBG’s emphasis on consolidated planning expands and strengthens partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector in enhancing community development.
• CDBG’s technical assistance activities and set-aside for grantees builds the capacity of these partners.

About the City of Marietta

The City of Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County. The latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau puts the population of the city at 60,867 which makes it the second largest city in Cobb County by population, smaller only than the newly incorporated City of Mableton.

Here are a few quick facts from the Census Bureau