Renew NC Infrastructure

Program Overview

The Renew NC Infrastructure program is a competitive grant program that provides funding for infrastructure projects that will help impacted communities in western North Carolina become more resilient to current and future natural hazards. A variety of projects will be considered, such as:

Projects which demonstrate adaptable and reliable technologies to guard against premature obsolescence;
Projects with a substantial amount of other funding available;
“Shovel ready” projects;
Projects which provide greater benefit to housing recovery; and
Projects which serve areas with higher LMI percentages will be favored in the scoring criteria.

The Renew NC Infrastructure program will deploy CDBG-DR funding to aid local governments by funding:

“Stand-alone” projects, which may be funded with up to 100% CDBG-DR funding, and are necessary to address identified unmet disaster recovery needs arising from the impact of Helene in communities and counties that are not funded by other federal recovery; and
Improvements to FEMA-assisted PA or HMGP funded projects, if such improvements improve resiliency, useful life, or otherwise provide a housing recovery benefit or long-term housing need not covered by the PA or HMGP portion of the project.

The program will require mitigation components to be included within the scope(s) of awarded projects to advance long-term resilience. Applicants will be asked to itemize costs and benefits when submitting applications for funding, in accordance with program requirements to be outlined. Proposed activities must also consider local plans and policies; reduce future risk to the recovering jurisdiction or municipality; and include an analysis of how multiple sources of funds may be leveraged to complete the project.

Program Title	Renew NC Infrastructure
Total Budget/CDBG-DR Allocation	$193,500,000 ($174,872,300 CDBG-DR plus $18,627,700 for mitigation)
Lead Agency and Distribution Process	NCDOC will implement the program and undertake necessary environmental reviews per 24 CFR 58. Process will be competitive application for local governments.
Program Description	Provides funding for infrastructure projects that will help impacted communities become more resilient to current and future natural hazards.
Eligible Geographic Area	Eligible applicants (local governments) must be located in HUD or State-Identified MID counties, and projects will be required to document link to disaster recovery needs.
Other Eligibility Criteria	N/A
Maximum Amount of Assistance per Beneficiary	Maximum of $15,000,000 for eligible projects with floor of $500,000.
Maximum Income of Beneficiary	N/A
Mitigation Measures	Applicants must identify specific mitigation actions as part of the basic application and include costs in the funding request. 10% of the CDBG-DR Mitigation set aside will be reserved for use with activities and projects funded under this program.
Reducing Barriers for Assistance	NCDOC will establish program criteria that guide eligible applicants to investments that benefit LMI communities.
Eligible Activities Referenced to Title I of Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 USC 5305(a)) or HUD Revised Universal Notice	§5305(a)(1) – Acquisition §5305(a)(2) – Acquisition, Construction, Reconstruction, and Installation of Public Facilities and Other Site Improvements §5305(a)(3) – Code Enforcement §5305(a)(4) – Clearance, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Construction of Buildings, including housing §5305(a)(5) – Removal of Architectural Barriers §5305(a)(7) – Disposition §5305(a)(9) – Non-Federal Match §5305(a)(11) – Relocation Payments §5305(a)(13) – Administrative Costs §5305(a)(14) – Assistance to Non-Profit Entities §5305(a)(15) – Assistance to Neighborhood-Based Organizations §5305(a)(25) – Tornado Shelters §5305(a)(26) – Lead-Based Paint Hazard Evaluation and Reduction
National Objective(s) Referenced to Title I of Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 USC 5305(a)) or HUD Revised Universal Notice	LMI Benefit on Area Basis, Housing, or Creation/Retention of Jobs Elimination of Slums and Blight (both area and spot basis) UN