CDBG PRO Housing Round 2: Addressing Zoning, Permitting, & Building Code Barriers to Affordable Housing

Dane County Department of Human Services is soliciting proposals from Dane County municipalities for implementation-ready planning and policy activities to remove barriers to affordable housing under the CDBG PRO Housing Program, with applications due November 14, 2026. This funding opportunity is restricted to municipalities located within Dane County — a hard eligibility filter.

Municipalities may request between $15,000 and $150,000 in CDBG PRO Housing federal funds per project. Eligible activities include zoning and land-use updates, permitting process improvements, building code modifications, and other initiatives that accelerate housing-enabling reforms or directly unlock housing development. Projects or activities that have previously received CDBG PRO Housing funding through Dane County for the same project or activity are ineligible for additional funding in this round.

Municipal staff must serve as the applicant and submission point of contact. Applicants must complete a logic model workbook identifying specific regulatory or structural barriers, planned actions, expected outputs, and anticipated outcomes. The milestone workbook requires documentation of project readiness across five categories: Project Setup & Readiness (10%), Studies & Technical Analysis (30%), Public & Stakeholder Process (20%), Formal Action & Adoption (25%), and Implementation & Execution (15%). Projects must complete a minimum of 60% of total milestones within 18 months and 100% of milestones within 24 months from the application deadline.

Consultant costs are eligible when they represent new or expanded work directly related to PRO Housing activities and comply with 2 CFR Part 200 federal procurement requirements. CDBG PRO Housing funds may supplement, not supplant, previously budgeted resources; applicants must demonstrate a net increase in investment or impact. Reporting requirements include monthly status reports, milestone-based progress reports, adopted ordinances or resolutions, final outcome reports, and performance measures as required by federal, state, or county regulations. Substantial project changes after submission require County approval and may affect funding eligibility.

Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.