City Of National City

City Of National City, a municipality and U.S. government entity headquartered in National City, California, receives federal grants as the prime recipient in community development, transportation planning, and emergency management programs. The city operates 84% of its recent federal awards as a prime grant recipient and receives 16% as a sub-recipient under state and county grantees.

The city's federal portfolio is heavily concentrated in HUD community planning and development grants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development accounts for 32 of 44 awards (86% by count), all structured as formula grants under either the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement program or the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). Representative HOME grants include a $325,766 award dated December 11, 2025, supporting affordable housing expansion in the Lincoln Acres area (ultimate completion September 30, 2034), and a prior HOME award dated August 29, 2023 (completion September 30, 2032). Representative CDBG awards include an entitlement grant dated July 1, 2024 (completion September 1, 2031), and an earlier award dated July 1, 2023 (completion September 1, 2030). These formula grants support rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing, homebuyer assistance, acquisition and construction of rental housing, tenant-based rental assistance, and broader community development activities targeting low- and moderate-income households.

The city's secondary customer agencies include the Federal Highway Administration (5 awards), which has funded transportation safety and planning work. A $144,000 project grant from FHWA dated March 11, 2026, supports the City of National City Supplemental Planning initiative under the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program (CFDA 20.939), with completion targeted for March 11, 2029. The grant funds comprehensive safety action plans, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis to prevent roadway fatalities and injuries. Federal Emergency Management Agency programs account for 5 awards combined, including an Assistance to Firefighters grant dated September 1, 2022 (completion August 31, 2024), and sub-awards related to COVID-19 response expenses. The Department of Defense's Office of Economic Adjustment funded a project grant dated September 1, 2022 (completion June 30, 2025), for the City of National City and Naval Base San Diego Waterfront Area Opportunities Plan.

Activity has remained modest and variable across recent years: six awards in 2022, three in 2023, eight in 2024, one in 2025, and one in 2026. Only one award carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months (August 31, 2024). As a sub-recipient, the city has received pass-through funding from the California Department of Transportation for bicycle corridor and pedestrian crossing infrastructure projects (five sub-awards dated between January 17, 2024, and September 16, 2024), and from the California Office of Traffic Safety for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (two awards dated October 1, 2022). The city's federal grant footprint centers on affordable housing production and maintenance, community development, and local transportation safety planning rather than IT, contracting, or professional services delivery.