DANE COUNTY – Today, the Dane County Department of Human Services announced that four Dane County municipalities are recipients of $279,750 in funding to help remove housing barriers in their communities. A second round of funding totaling approximately $720,000 is now available for municipalities in Dane County to apply for, with applications due by November 13, 2026.
Through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Dane County aims to remove barriers to affordable housing, expand the housing supply, and support long-term housing affordability.
“As the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin, we need to make sure our housing supply keeps pace with the needs of our communities,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard. “That means working with our municipal partners to remove outdated barriers that make it harder and more expensive to build housing. These investments will help communities expand housing options and make it easier for more people to find a home they can afford right here in Dane County.”
“Everyone in Dane County deserves access to affordable housing, yet rising costs and economic pressures are making it feel increasingly out of reach for many,” said Dane County Department of Human Services Director John Schlueter. “Through these funding opportunities, we are able to team with community partners, dismantle barriers, and make housing more accessible and affordable for residents’ long term.”
The first phase of the County’s CDBG PRO Housing funding focuses on helping municipalities modernize their zoning and building codes, improve permitting and approval processes, and implement changes that enable a broader range of housing types and densities.
Recipients include:
City of Sun Prairie – $150,000: Funding will support updates to housing and land use planning in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The work will help the City review its housing needs and identify policies and initiatives to support future housing development.
Village of Deerfield – $60,000: Funding will support zoning code updates intended to reduce barriers to housing development and expand opportunities for homeownership.
City of Monona – $51,000: Funding will support zoning and land division code changes intended to remove barriers to affordable housing development.
Village of Waunakee – $18,750: Funding will support zoning-related work aimed at addressing barriers to housing.
“The Village of Deerfield is excited to work with the Dane County CDBG office to reduce barriers to building here in Deerfield,” said Richard Downey, the Village of Deerfield Administrator. “We look forward to updating our zoning code with grant assistance and making homeownership in our community a reality for many people.”
The Dane County Department of Human Services recently opened a second round of funding focused on implementation-ready planning and policy activities to help remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation.
The request for proposals (RFP) is open to municipalities located in Dane County. Approximately $720,000 is available, with individual funding requests ranging from $15,000 to $150,000.
The deadline to submit applications is November 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
The RFP is available through Dane County’s procurement portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane