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block grant
noun
: an unrestricted grant made by the U.S. federal government to state and local governments to be used at their discretion to pay especially for social services that were formerly paid for through specific federal programs
Examples of block grant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The case settlement sparked the creation of a block grant program to support early literacy instruction.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2024
Glendale has already secured $8 million for the project, $4 million from Gwen Moore's office and $3.9 million from the state from a block grant program administered through the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2024
Most of the cost was covered by a $6 million federal block grant, an additional $6 million from the state’s Interregional Transportation Improvement program, and $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds, with the rest of the money from OCTA.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
Congress should allocate more funds to DHS, FEMA, and CBP for efficient border processing, alongside block grants for cities and counties accepting migrants.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024
Recommended Compounding this, in 1982 President Ronald Reagan sent federal funding for mental health community centers back to the states as block grants.
—Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024
One is increasing financing for the block grant that helps low-income families pay for child care.
—Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
To be deemed disadvantaged, an area must be in a census tract eligible for federal block grant funding, in a promise zone or in a community of concern as defined by the city’s climate equity index.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2024
Metz said the city also supported the development through financing through community development block grant funds and some money provided through the American Rescue Plan Act.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 11 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'block grant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1966, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near block grant
Cite this Entry
“Block grant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/block%20grant. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Legal Definition
block grant
noun
: an unrestricted federal grant
More from Merriam-Webster on block grant
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for block grant
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