January 26, 2026
Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Relief Program (CDBG-DR) Notice of Funding Opportunity
Notice: The deadline for the 2026 Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief NOFO, as well as the date of award announcements, was updated on January 28, 2026.
On January 26, 2026, The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Georgia Housing Finance Authority (GHFA) are issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for low-interest loan financing for new construction or acquisition/rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for future Housing Tax Credit developments in Georgia communities which experienced impacts arising from applicable natural disasters.
Overview
View the
Community
Development Block Grant- Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) NOFO
Available Funds
| Fund Source | Amount Available |
|---|---|
| 2023-2024 Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief | Approximately $20 million |
| 2017 Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Relief | Approximately $2 million |
Funding Details
2023-2024 CDBG-DR: Loan Availability and Terms
| Total Loan Funds Available | Approximately $20,000,000 |
| Minimum Loan Principal | 2,000,000 |
| Maximum Loan Principal | $5,000,000 |
| Period of Affordability | Greater of 20 years or loan term |
| Loan Term | 15 to 30 years |
| Construction Interest Rate | 0%-5% (determined through underwriting |
| Permanent Interest Rate | 0%-5% (determined through underwriting |
| Repayment Structure | Determined through underwriting |
2023-2024 CDBG-DR
Eligible applicants are future applicants for either 9% or 4% Housing Tax Credits in Georgia with properties that are in communities experiencing a serious unmet housing need due to impacts arising from Hurricane Idalia, Tropical Storm Debby, or Hurricane Helene.
Eligible developments must be within the following forty-four (44) counties, including any municipalities and rural areas therein: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, Pierce, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, and Wilkes.
2017 CDBG-DR: Loan Availability and Terms
| Total Loan Funds Available | Approximately $2,000,000 |
| Maximum Loan Principal | $2,000,000 |
| Loan Term | 20 to 30 years |
| Period of Affordability | Greater of 20 years or loan term |
| Level of Affordability | Maximum Rents at 80% AMI |
| Construction Interest Rate | 0%-5% (determined through underwriting |
| Permanent Interest Rate | 0%-5% (determined through underwriting |
| Repayment Structure | Determined through underwriting |
2017 CDBG-DR
Eligible applicants are future applicants for 9% or 4% Housing Tax Credits in Georgia with properties that are in communities experiencing a serious unmet housing need due to impacts arising from Hurricane Irma.
Eligible developments must be within the following geographic areas. Total available loans for the respective geographic areas are indicated in the Table below:
Available Loan Allocation to the Most Impacted and Distressed Areas: Within zip codes: 31701, 31705, 31707, 31548, and 31520 | Minimum of Approximately $1.4 Million |
Available Loan Allocation to properties within the following Counties: Berrien, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Coffee, Cook, Crisp, Dougherty, Glynn, Liberty, McIntosh, Thomas, Turner, Wilcox | Maximum of Approximately $600,000 |
Application Process
Applications are limited to one application per property and a total of two applications per applicant. DCA reserves the right to allow additional applications and/or awards for each applicant. Eligible applicants to this NOFO must also be committed to apply for a 2026 award of either 9% or 4% Housing Tax Credits for developments in Georgia.
Every application is required to be submitted through the Emphasys portal, available at this page. Please review the full NOFO for detailed application requirements and evaluation priorities. All narratives and attachments must be uploaded through the Emphasys portal.
Application Timeline
| NOFO Published | January 26, 2026 |
| NOFO Webinar and Q&A | February 10, 2026 Access the webinar here. |
| 9% LIHTC Pre-Application Documentation for (Threshold) Occupied Developments and for (Threshold) Project Team Qualifications | February 27, 2026 |
| NOFO Application Deadline | March 12, 2026 |
| NOFO Award Announcements | April 6, 2026 |
Webinar & Q&A (Virtual)
February 10, 2026, 1:00-2:30pm
Register here
To learn more about the Housing Tax Credit Program, click here.
To learn more about the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief program, click here.