The Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides funding to states, local governments, and certain nonprofits for disaster recovery and resilience projects. CDBG-DR funding is typically used for long-term rebuilding efforts rather than immediate relief activities funded through other federal disaster programs. This distinguishes CDBG-DR from the longstanding CDBG program, which assists with housing, infrastructure, and community development needs for low- and moderate-income communities without special emphasis on issues regarding recovery from natural disasters. 

CDBG-DR was first created in response to Hurricane Andrew and other disasters in FY1993 to supplement existing disaster‐related authorities to help communities rebuild after major disasters. Since then, Congress has appropriated more than $112 billion in CDBG-DR funds on 31 separate occasions.  

CDBG-DR is not a permanently authorized program; it is authorized through various post-disaster supplemental appropriations. Typically, Congress directs HUD to allocate CDBG-DR funds for use in the "most impacted and distressed areas" in jurisdictions with major disaster declarations under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.1 Once CDBG-DR funds are appropriated, HUD sets allocation amounts and publishes a notice in the Federal Register detailing the specific requirements and grant process. In January 2025, HUD published a "Universal Notice" in the Federal Register to standardize and clarify the CDBG-DR rulemaking process within the current framework.

You can download the full fact sheet here or read it below.