COLUMBIA, SC (FOX Carolina)- The South Carolina Department of Commerce announced Tuesday in a news release that it is awarding $17.5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to 23 communities across the state.

More than 27,700 South Carolina residents will be impacted by these grants, including communities from the upstate like:

City of ClintonGreenwood CountyLaurens CountyCity of LibertyTown of LockhartCity of Pickens

According to the news release, the CDBG grant funds are allocated on an annual basis to South Carolina from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. South Carolina Commerce then administers the CDBG program on the state’s behalf.

Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt says in the news release that the funds are an important tool to improve communities across the state.

“To further attract investments to our communities, we need to preserve the remarkable quality of life that exists throughout our state, and these public projects are critical to doing just that.”

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce says that the grants must be used to benefit low-to-moderate income persons, aid in the prevention and elimination of slums and blighting conditions or meet other urgent community needs that pose a serious and immediate threat to public health and welfare where other financial resources are not readily available.

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