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

Overall it might not matter, if UK spending increases and the block grant itself goes up.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

This figure rises to £972m if the UK basic rate increased by two percentage points, with cuts of more than £1bn to the block grant in each of the two following years.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

The current state budget also includes a $60-million block grant, to be divided among the community colleges, that is meant to mitigate federal cuts.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025

To calculate how much the block grant needs to go up in total, the formula looks at the size of the Welsh population relative to the size of the population of England.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 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