photo by: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence's City Hall, located at 6 E. Sixth St., shown during June 2025.

The City of Lawrence announced that applications are open for two federal grant sources that could support the development of housing initiatives.

The city announced in a press release Wednesday that nonprofit and for-profit organizations could apply to receive funds through the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program as part of the 2026 Annual Action Plan. Those two funding sources are awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The applications for the federal funding would be submitted to the Planning and Development Services Department’s Housing Initiatives Division, and the funds “must be used for an eligible activity” of the federal programs, according to the release.

Projects that would receive any funding through these sources are expected to be “undertaken during the program year,” which runs from Aug. 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The city said it anticipates having about $105,000 in Community Development Block Grants available for the “Public Service application process” and $120,000 for the “Non-Public Service application process,” for a total of $225,000 in total funds for the block grants.

The city said it expects to have approximately $335,000 available for the HOME program, but it also said final amounts “may be significantly less than prior years, depending on federal budget decisions.”

The city will be accepting applications for these federal funding sources until Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. After that, no applications will be accepted.

Applications are available on the city’s website or in person at the planning department’s office at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. The release also said you can contact the city’s Housing Initiatives staff by email at housinginitiatives@lawrenceks.gov for questions about the application process.