Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)
provides grants and loans to communities to assist businesses with funding and technical support for community projects that meet economic development objectives and lead to job creation or retention for Maine residents with low to moderate incomes.

The three CDBG programs for economic development funding are:

•	Economic Development Infrastructure (EDI) Program: grants of up to $400,000 for communities to develop or rehabilitate public infrastructure, such as water lines, roads, utilities, and publicly owned facilities. The funding guideline is $10,000 per job created or retained.
•	Business Assistance Program: Grants of up to $400,000 for local businesses that qualify through their municipalities to finance fixed assets, including capital equipment, commercial or industrial buildings, fixtures, or property improvements. The funding guideline is $10,000 per job created or retained.
•	Development Fund Loan Program: Loans of up to $250,000 for businesses through their municipality that are earmarked for either fixed asset investments or working capital. The funding guideline is $10,000 per job created or retained.

CDBG at work: City officials in Calais decided to turn a former factory into a residential facility for Maine children with behavioral problems. Thanks in part to $600,000 through the CDBG Program, the Calais Children's Project opened in the fall of 2000. Since then, the center has been filled to capacity with children who previously had to seek treatment out of state. The facility has also created more than 35 jobs in Calais.

Since 1982, Maine has invested more than $280 million in our communities through the CDBG program.