Each fall, on behalf of Anne Arundel County, ACDS begins the housing and community development budget process for the fiscal year that begins July 1st of the following year. ACDS welcomes broad public participation in the process and encourages comments and input from residents and service providers on the County’s current housing and community development needs, as well as recommendations for activities and projects which best address those needs.

The Budget Process for FY2026 is the first year of the Anne Arundel County FY2026-FY2030 Consolidated Plan. Therefore, the Budget Process will be integrated into the Consolidated Planning Process as outlined on the FY2026- FY2030 Consolidated Plan Process and Schedule page. As part of this process, the county’s goals and strategies will be updated, which may impact the types of activities that are selected for funding. It is anticipated that eligible activities serving low-to-moderate income households will continue to be those related to:

• Homeownership Opportunities
• Rental Housing Opportunities
• Preventing and Ending Homelessness
• Sustainable Communities
• Promoting Fair Housing

Application Process for FY 2026 Funding

For housing and community development providers seeking FY 2026 housing and community development funds, the application for funding was made available on Thursday, October 03, 2024 and is due on Friday, November 15, 2024.

All applications are required to be completed online through ACDS’s grant management portal, called Neighborly. If you were an existing user, the application was at the bottom of the page after you log in to Neighborly. If you had not yet registered for an account, please click HERE to be taken to the Federal Grant application in the ACDS Neighborly Portal Login Page, where there is a quick start guide available for download with registration instructions. If you are unable to access our online portal, please contact eharig-blaine@acdsinc.org.

Anyone interested in submitting an application should review one or both of the guidelines and instructions below.

Public Service Application Guidelines and Instructions

Capital Project Application Guidelines and Instructions

The training for the FY2026 application was held on Monday, October 7, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

A recording of the training can be found here and the materials referenced can be found here.

Public Hearings of FY 2026 Budget Process

First Public Hearing of FY 2026 Budget Process – Thursday, October 24, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 

At this hearing, ACDS provided attendees with a report on recent accomplishments, information on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, as well as information on the amount of federal housing and community development funds expected to be available for Local Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026).  Additionally, this hearing provided an opportunity to learn about the County’s Consolidated Planning process.  Residents and stakeholders were provided with the opportunity to share and speak on the issues and needs they see in their communities. The hearing was held in the Independence Room at the Heritage Complex, 2664 Riva Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401. The slides from the hearing can be found here.

Second Public Hearing/Forum for FY 2026 Budget Process – Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

At this hearing, ACDS presented on housing and community development needs, general demographic trends, and a summary of focus group findings. Additionally, ACDS reviewed and discussed the proposed geographic priorities, guiding principles, and the proposed goals and strategies.  The public was given an opportunity to prioritize needs, review and discuss the proposed goals and strategies, geographic priorities, guiding principles, and provide feedback on recommended changes. Presentation materials from the hearing can be found here.

Additionally, below are maps shared with meeting participants that show the HUD defined “low- to moderate-income areas” in North and South Anne Arundel County, comparing 2019 to 2023. Note: the low income threshold in 2019 was 37.5% and in 2023 was 43.3% of the area median income, thus accounting for some of the changes in what qualified as a low- to moderate-income area.

North Anne Arundel County 2019

North Anne Arundel County 2023

South Anne Arundel County 2019

South Anne Arundel County 2023

At this hearing, ACDS solicited feedback from the public on the ACDS staff recommendations for projects and activities to be funded with the FY 2026 Budget, as well as on the proposed goals and strategies to be included in the FY2026-FY2030 Consolidated Plan. Residents and interested organizations were invited to speak for up two minutes and provide input. The slides from the hearing can be found here as well as Handout 1, Handout 2, and Handout 3.

The Housing and Community Development Budget will be included in the County Executive’s budget, which is voted on by the County Council no later than June 2025. The housing and community development budget will be further outlined in Anne Arundel County’s Annual Action Plan submission to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in mid-June. Click here to view past Annual Action Plans.