block grant

American  

noun

1. a consolidated grant of federal funds, formerly allocated for specific programs, that a state or local government may use at its discretion for such programs as education or urban development.

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block grant British  

noun

1. (in Britain) an annual grant made by the government to a local authority to help to pay for the public services it provides, such as health, education, and housing

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block grant Cultural  

1. A financial aid package that grants federal money to state and local governments for use in social welfare programs, such as law enforcement, community development, and health services. Block grants provide money for general areas of social welfare, rather than for specific programs. This arrangement not only reduces bureaucratic red tape (see also red tape), but also allows grant recipients more freedom to choose how to use the funds. A product of Republican administrations in the 1970s and 1980s, block grants reduce federal responsibility for social welfare. (See federalism.)

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Etymology

Origin of block grant

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

block grant

Denmark supports Greenland’s economy with an annual block grant of approximately $620 million, and finances its police, prisons and defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

California’s big cities may be spurred to increase housing production in future years, Garcia said, and they also could benefit from the ability to direct the block grant funding to housing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

The block grant paid to the Scottish government by the UK Treasury is adjusted relative to what is spent on devolved services like health and education in England.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

There is an indirect impact on the Scottish government's finances through the complicated funding formulas that determine how much Holyrood receives from Westminster in the block grant.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

Head Start centers have fought for their lives in the past — including against a plan to block grant the program in the 1990s — and they know how to fight, said Scarborough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025