Opportunity Overview
The Kansas Department of Commerce 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Community Facilities program provides two funding tracks for eligible non-entitlement Kansas cities and counties: Small Grants and Large Grants. Kansas Commerce has designated $7.6 million across the two Community Facilities categories for 2026.
Funding
Small Grants: up to $210,000, with a total project cost cap of $231,000 and a required match equal to 10% of the CDBG grant request. The guidelines anticipate 10 awards.
Large Grants: requests begin at $210,001. The published program page lists awards up to $1.5 million; the controlling 2026 guidelines further cap awards at $650,000 for communities under 2,500 population and $1.5 million for communities over 2,500 population. Large Grants require a match equal to 20% of the CDBG grant request. The guidelines anticipate 10 awards.
Deadline and Eligibility Gate
Full applications are due October 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time through the Kansas Commerce grants portal. A pre-application had to be submitted by September 15, 2026, and only applicants with an approved pre-application may submit a full application. Because that gate has passed, Atlas should not conduct speculative cold outreach to communities that did not complete the pre-application step.
Eligible Applicants
Only eligible Kansas cities and counties may apply through the State CDBG program. Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Overland Park, Topeka, Wichita, and all of Johnson County are entitlement jurisdictions and are not eligible for this State CDBG program. A Community Facilities project must principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons, generally with at least 51% LMI beneficiaries, unless an approved Limited Clientele method applies.
Eligible Projects and Costs
Small Grants can support minor renovations to libraries, community centers and public buildings, park and recreation improvements, public-safety and emergency-service improvements such as sirens and storm shelters, ADA/accessibility work, and eligible post-award professional services.
Large Grants can support construction, major renovation or expansion of senior centers, libraries and nonprofit childcare centers; major park and recreation work; major renovation or expansion of existing community centers; streets, sidewalks, storm drains and ADA infrastructure; public fire stations, fire-truck purchases and public storm shelters; and eligible post-award professional services. New community-center construction belongs in the separate Blueprint to Build program.
Pre-award costs, including application writing, preliminary architecture/engineering, and property/building acquisition, are not reimbursable CDBG costs and cannot be counted as match. Construction projects require the applicable preliminary engineering or architectural report, environmental documentation, public-hearing compliance, secured match, and other threshold materials.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 63/100. N9+ Fit: 5/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 10/100 conditional. Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. The program can improve community health, accessibility, senior services and public safety, but the controlling materials do not establish a general medical-device, telehealth-equipment or clinical-technology procurement pathway, and school or institutional facilities are generally ineligible. Ordinary original outreach must not introduce N9+.
Next Action
Limit applicant development to municipalities or counties that can be independently verified as having submitted and received approval of the required 2026 pre-application. For any such applicant, verify the specific project, LMI method, public-hearing timing, secured match, preliminary engineering/architectural work, environmental documentation, procurement restrictions and prior CDBG project status before creating CRM or outreach records.
Official sources: Kansas Commerce Community Facilities: Small Grants; Kansas Commerce Community Facilities: Large Grants.