Opportunity Overview
Kansas Department of Commerce is administering the 2026 CDBG Community Facilities: Large Grants Program for larger-scale public facility and infrastructure projects that improve quality of life and essential services in eligible Kansas communities.
Funding and Deadline
Commerce identifies $7.6 million in combined 2026 Community Facilities funding across Large and Small Grants. Large Grant requests range from $210,001 to $1.5 million. The guidelines cap awards at $650,000 for communities under 2,500 population and $1.5 million for communities over 2,500, and also apply a $2,000-per-beneficiary ceiling. The required match is 20% of the CDBG request. Full applications are due October 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time.
Critical Pre-Application Gate
The mandatory pre-application deadline was September 15, 2026. Only applicants with an approved pre-application may submit a full application. Atlas therefore treats this as an active full-application opportunity only for already-qualified communities; it is not a general new cold-applicant opportunity at this stage.
Eligible Applicants and National Objective
Only non-entitlement Kansas cities and counties may apply. Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Manhattan, Overland Park, Topeka, Wichita, and all of Johnson County are excluded. Communities with an open CDBG project currently in a time extension are ineligible until that project is closed. All proposed activities must benefit at least 51% low- and moderate-income persons.
Eligible Project Uses
Eligible uses include construction, major renovation, or expansion of senior centers, libraries, and nonprofit childcare centers; park and recreation facilities; major renovation or expansion of existing community centers; streets, sidewalks, storm drains, curb cuts, and ADA features; public fire stations, fire trucks, public storm shelters; and eligible post-award professional services. New community-center construction belongs in the Blueprint to Build program rather than this category.
Application Readiness
Applicants must have secured matching funds, complete the required initial public hearing, provide a PER or PAR for applicable construction work, submit the Environmental Determination of Level of Review, prepare required project narratives, maps and agreements, and follow CDBG procurement rules. The initial public hearing must occur at least 15 full days before submission. Projects may not use Design-Build or CMAR, and construction procurement must wait until after award and environmental approval.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 68/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The program has meaningful community-health and public-safety relevance through senior centers, childcare, accessibility, fire and public-safety facilities, and infrastructure, but the controlling guidance does not establish a defensible clinical technology, telehealth, remote-examination, or medical-device procurement pathway. Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100.
Next Action
For communities with an approved pre-application, confirm LMI eligibility, secured 20% match, public-hearing compliance, PER or PAR, environmental level of review, procurement readiness, and all required supporting documents, then submit through the Kansas Commerce Salesforce grants portal by October 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT. Do not initiate new organization outreach where approval of the September 15 pre-application cannot be authoritatively verified.
Official sources: Kansas Commerce Community Facilities: Large Grants page and the 2026 Community Facilities: Large Grants Guidelines.