Summary of CSBG-2026 Federal Formula Grant Award

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through the Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), $79.27 million in Community Services Block Grant (CSBG, CFDA 93.569) formula funding effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This non-discretionary formula grant supports statewide poverty-reduction and economic self-sufficiency initiatives delivered through a network of community action agencies and neighborhood-based organizations across Pennsylvania. The CSBG program funds a comprehensive portfolio of services including employment and job training, education and skill development, emergency assistance through loans and grants for housing and health services, community needs assessment, strategic partnerships, workforce development, economic mobility strategies, and organizational capacity building.

DCED distributes CSBG funds to 37 sub-grantee community action agencies across Pennsylvania's counties and regions, including organizations serving Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill, York, Lancaster, Allegheny, Cambria, Armstrong, and other counties. Sub-grantees deliver direct anti-poverty services such as case management, rental and utility assistance, homelessness prevention, food security programs, weatherization and energy efficiency improvements, employment training and placement, financial literacy and budget counseling, housing assistance, and emergency basic needs support. The funding model emphasizes two-generation service approaches, support for families transitioning from state assistance programs, and strategies to reduce inequity in economic opportunity access. As the intermediary recipient, DCED ensures federal resources flow effectively to local nonprofits, community action groups, and service providers that implement targeted poverty-reduction activities serving low-income individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth.