Bentonville’s 2025 CDBG Plan: Sidewalks, Services, and a Faster Rollout
Bentonville has published its 2025 Annual Action Plan—the third year of the city’s 2023–2027 strategy for federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The new program year runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, with a $296,575 allocation aimed at low- to moderate-income residents.
Where the money goes
Public facilities & infrastructure: $243,255 to launch Phase 1 of a sidewalk project in Census Tract 205.04, a low- to moderate-income area just south of downtown. Planned work includes design/engineering, utility adjustments, pedestrian/bike safety barriers, a crosswalk, and ramp upgrades at 14th Street. City estimates the project could benefit about 299 households (1,495 LMI residents, assuming five people per household).
Public services: $43,320 total, split among:
Boys & Girls Club of Benton County – $10,000 for scholarships; estimated 20 youth served.
NWA Continuum of Care – $8,320 for homelessness outreach; estimated 75 individuals served.
Helen Walton Children’s Enrichment Center – $10,000 for early-childhood tuition assistance; estimated 4 children served.
Sunshine School – $10,000 to provide free transportation for children with disabilities; estimated 70 recipients.
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance – $5,000 to pair holiday meals with mental-health resource outreach for veterans, first responders, and military families; estimated 50 recipients.
Program administration: $10,000 for required program operations.
By the numbers (Plan totals): Public facilities & improvements $243,255; Public services $43,320; Administration $10,000.
Focus areas & context
The plan centers on three long-standing goals: improving public facilities and infrastructure, supporting key public services (childcare and homelessness supports), and administering the program.
Geographically, the headline project targets Census Tract 205.04, identified in the city’s goals as the priority area for area-wide benefit.
On homelessness, preliminary 2025 Point-in-Time figures discussed with the region’s Continuum of Care indicate 507 people experiencing homelessness in NWA, including 259 unsheltered—up from 412 reported in 2024. The city’s CDBG partnership funds on-the-ground outreach and connections to services.
Public input & what’s next
The city held two public meetings—Feb. 12 and June 4, 2025—with comments emphasizing the housing crunch and support needs; a proposed utility-voucher idea was deemed ineligible for CDBG because it would have directed funds to the city itself. A third hearing will occur during the 30-day comment window after publication of the plan.
Lessons learned & delivery timeline
Past years saw delays as Bentonville ramped up its new CDBG program and processed a May 6, 2025 substantial amendment (including reprogramming 2023 funds to sidewalks). For 2025, the city lists concrete steps—drafting subrecipient agreements during approval, securing a budget adjustment immediately after HUD signs the grant, and pushing multi-year sidewalk work—to accelerate spending.
