Choice Neighborhoods (CN) Implementation Grants - FY 2023
| Agency: | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 14.889 |
| Federal FON: | FR-6700-N-34 |
| Office: | Office of Public and Indian Housing |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 03/04/2024 (Multiple) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 09/06/2023 |
| Match Required: | Yes |
| Match Type: | Cash/In-Kind |
| Actual Funds: | $259,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Number of Awards: | 8 (Estimated) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to help communities transform struggling neighborhoods by redeveloping severely distressed public and/or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted housing and catalyzing critical improvements. Projects will bring together local stakeholders to create and implement plans that revitalize communities and address challenges in surrounding neighborhoods. Funding will support locally driven strategies that aim to achieve the following three core goals:
- Housing: replacing severely distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality, mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood
- People: improving outcomes of households living in the target housing related to employment and income, health, and education
- Neighborhood: creating the conditions necessary for public and private investment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families' choices about their communities
To achieve these core goals, successful applicants must have in place a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy or transformation plan. To develop and implement this plan, successful applicants will need to work with public and private agencies, organizations, including philanthropic and civic organizations, banks and financial institutions, and individuals to gather and leverage the financial and human capital resources needed to support the sustainability of the plan. All applicants must develop metrics, based on the objectives listed on pages 6-7 of the NOFA file, to measure success.
Eligible program activities include:
- Construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of public, assisted, and affordable housing that incorporates sustainable design principles, including energy efficiency and climate resiliency
- Acquisition, demolition, or disposition of properties, including Federal Housing Administration-Real Estate-owned properties
- Providing supportive services for residents, primarily focused on case management, service coordination, and assistance to enable residents to access programs from other key agencies and local service providers
- Partnering with employers and for-profit/nonprofit organizations to create jobs and job training opportunities, with a focus on job opportunities accessible by mass transit
- Relocation assistance, including tenant-based rental assistance renewable under Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, and supportive services for families that are displaced, including mobility and relocation counseling over multiple years, reasonable moving costs, and security deposits
- Activities that promote sustainable neighborhoods and incorporate principles of sustainable design and development
- Critical community improvements (CCIs), as detailed on pages 43-44 of the NOFA file
- Supportive service endowments
- Conversion of vacant or foreclosed properties to affordable housing
- Architectural and engineering work
- Administrative costs directly related to carrying out award activities
- Payment of reasonable legal fees
Each application must focus on the revitalization of at least one severely distressed public housing and/or assisted housing project. Projects must take place in neighborhoods in which at least 15 percent of the residents are estimated to be in poverty or have extremely low incomes.
Projects must meet program requirements regarding the rights of tenants to return, one-on-one replacement of public and/or assisted housing, long-term affordability, relocation and mobility counseling, and other requirements. Refer to pages 27-46 of the NOFA file for detailed program requirements.
All projects must affirmatively further fair housing. Applicants will receive additional consideration and preference points during the evaluation process if they propose projects that address climate change and environmental justice (EJ). Additionally, the funding agency will award preference points to projects that benefit Promise Zones (PZs).
In addition to implementation grant awards, this program will provide supplemental awards to entities that have previously received implementation awards. Refer to pages 110-114 of the NOFA file for details.
Applicants are required to conduct public meetings prior to submitting an application. Refer to the Application section for additional information.
Applicants seeking support for the development of neighborhood transformation plans should consult the funding agency's CN Planning Grants Program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US9426.
Last Updated: July 29, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants for implementation grants are:
- City and township governments
- Public housing authorities (PHAs)
- Indian housing authorities
Eligible applicants for supplemental grants are entities that received implementation grant awards between FY 2017 and FY 2020. Refer to page 110 of the NOFA file for details.
The local government of the jurisdiction must be either the lead applicant or co-applicant. The lead applicant may be either a PHA, local government, or tribal entity. Eligible co-applicants are:
- Local governments
- PHAs
- Tribal entities
- Nonprofit or for-profit developers that are owners of the targeted housing
A PHA applicant that has been designated as troubled by the funding agency may still be eligible to apply if it meets the criteria detailed on pages 20-21 of the NOFA file.
Applicants must resolve all civil rights matters before submitting applications.
Each application must focus on the revitalization of at least one severely distressed public housing and/or assisted housing project. Projects must take place in neighborhoods in which at least 15 percent of the residents are estimated to be in poverty or have extremely low incomes. Refer to pages 21-22 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding eligible target housing and eligible neighborhoods. A mapping tool that includes information regarding eligible neighborhoods can be found online at www.huduser.gov.
Additional preference points will be awarded to projects serving Promise Zones (PZs).
A local government, whether as lead applicant or co-applicant, may only submit one application. Supplemental grant applications do not count toward this limit. There is no limit to the number of public and/or assisted housing projects per application, as long as all are within the boundaries of the neighborhood.
Refer to pages 25-26 of the NOFA file for information regarding this program's relation to other funding agency programs and eligibility for applicants to apply to more than one such program at a time.
Applicants may not apply for an award from both this program and the funding agency's CN Planning Grants Program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US9426, for the same target housing and neighborhood; however, a prior planning award is not required for an applicant to receive an implementation award.
Previous award recipients include:
- Chattanooga Housing Authority (TN)
- City of Houston (TX)
- Miami-Dade County (FL)
- Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA) and City of Las Vegas (NV)
- Community Builders, Inc. (OH)
Refer to the Award file for additional information regarding previous award recipients.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentConsortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:
Implementation grant applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 11, 2023. Supplemental grant applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 4, 2024.
The due date for implementation grant applications has been extended to 11:59 p.m. ET on February 13, 2024. Additional information is included in the revised NOFA file.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
Implementation grant applications must include:
- SF 424
- SF 424D
- HUD SF 424B
- HUD 2880
- SF LLL
- Additional HUD forms, as outlined on pages 47-49 of the NOFA file
- Table of contents
- Narrative exhibits, as outlined on pages 50-52 of the NOFA file (115 pages max)
- Attachments, as outlined on pages 52-55 of the NOFA file (115 pages max; excluding the attachments listed on page 56 of the NOFA file)
Refer to pages 113-114 of the NOFA file for information regarding the required contents of supplemental grant applications.
Applications must be double-spaced and formatted on standard-sized pages using one-inch margins and at least a 12-point Times Roman font. Narrative pages must be numbered. Refer to pages 55-56 of the NOFA file for application layout requirements.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
Prior to submitting an application, applicants must conduct at least two meetings with the residents of the target housing project, as well as at least two public meetings with the broader community. Refer to pages 65-66 of the NOFA file for details.
A recording of a webinar held for this program can be found online at www.youtube.com.
Implementation grant applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Capacity (20 points)
- Need (14 points)
- Strategy - neighborhood (10 points)
- Strategy - housing (17 points)
- Strategy - people (14 points)
- Leverage (9 points)
- Soundness of approach (15 points)
- Other factors (5 points)
Refer to pages 67-98 of the NOFA file for details regarding application evaluation criteria for implementation grant applications. Refer to pages 112-113 of the NOFA file for details regarding the application evaluation criteria for continuation grant applications.
Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.
| Match Required: | Yes |
|---|---|
| Match Type: | Cash/In-Kind |
| Actual Funds: | $259,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Number of Awards: | 8 (Estimated) |
|---|
Match Notes:
Applicants must provide a match of at least 5 percent of the requested award amount via cash and/or in-kind contributions. Matching contributions will be taken into consideration during the application evaluation process.
In general, matching contributions may not include other federal sources, unless permitted by a program's authorizing statute.
Matching contributions may not include HOPE VI program funding or previous funding through this program or through the related CN Planning Grants program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US9426.
Funding Notes:
Approximately $259 million is available to support approximately eight awards through this program. Of the total funding available, at least $175 million will be awarded to projects for which a public housing authority is the lead applicant or co-applicant. The funding agency also anticipates allocating approximately $10 million for supplemental awards for applicants that have previously received funding through this program.
For implementation grant awards, the maximum award amount is the lesser of the amount calculated in accordance with the methodology outlined on pages 60-61 of the NOFA file, or $50 million. For supplemental awards, the maximum award will be $2.5 million, or as calculated according to the guidelines outlined on pages 110-111 of the NOFA file.
For implementation grant awards, the estimated project start date is October 1, 2024. All award funds must be expended and projects ended by September 30, 2032. Key supportive services for residents must be made available within 60 days of the award, must last for the life of the award, and must be carefully planned to ensure sustainability after the end of the project period. Outreach and engagement to residents must begin as soon as possible after the award. Refer to page 30 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding required project milestones.
For supplemental grant awards, the project period will either be three years from the award execution date, which is expected to be July 1, 2027, or one year after the expiration date of the recipient's current implementation award. Refer to page 111 of the NOFA file for details.
Up to 20 percent of the total award amount may be used for supportive services, as detailed on page 39 of the NOFA file.
Up to 15 percent of the total award amount may be used for critical community improvements (CCIs), as detailed on pages 42-43 of the NOFA file.
Funds may not be used for the demolition of targeted projects or any portions thereof, unless the funding agency approves the demolition. Refer to page 32 of the NOFA file for details.
Funds may not be used for:
- Projects targeting public housing projects that were previously funded through the programs detailed on page 25 of the NOFA file
- Lobbying activities
- Pre-award costs
- Application preparation costs
- Construction or rehabilitation of K-12 school buildings or higher educational institutions
- Indirect costs
- Ineligible CCIs, as detailed on page 43 of the NOFA file
In July 2024, seven awards ranging from $15,625,191 to $50 million were distributed through this program. In July 2023, a total of $370 million was distributed via eight awards ranging from $40 million to $50 million. In April 2023, a total of $98,216,956 was distributed via 16 supplemental awards ranging from $1,421,911 to $10 million. Refer to the Award file for details.
Contacts:
Program Staff
ChoiceNeighborhoods@hud.gov
Agency Address
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20410
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
Other Pre-Award File: US11291_WebinarPresentation_FY2023.pdf (2.3 Mb)NOFA File: US11291_NOFA_FY2023.pdf (757.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US11291_Q&A_FY2023.pdf (56.7 Kb)
Award File: US11291_Award_FY2023.pdf (37.1 Mb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the revised solicitation for this program. The WebinarPresentation file contains the presentation slides for the webinar held for this program. The Q&A file contains a list of questions and answers regarding this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients.
July 29, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and appended to the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.
December 20, 2023
A list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
October 26, 2023
A revised solicitation containing an updated due date for implementation grant applications has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Application and Financial sections have been updated accordingly.
September 29, 2023
A recording of a webinar held for this program has been released, and a link to the presentation is available in the Application section. Presentation slides for the webinar have also been released and attached as the WebinarPresentation file.
| Project: | Choice Neighborhood Initiative Application (22.4 Mb) |
|---|---|
| Applicant: | San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) |
| Summary: |
The purpose of this program is to support comprehensive neighborhood transformation efforts in struggling neighborhoods with distressed public housing or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted housing. The San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) requested funding to implement strategies to revitalize the Eastern Bayview and Alice Griffith neighborhoods in San Francisco, California. Funding was requested to implement strategies to improve job readiness, training, and placement services; improve public transportation systems; assist education providers with after-school programs; provide façade and tenant improvement loans to businesses and residential owners; and invest in local arts organizations. |
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Community DevelopmentEconomic Development
Housing
Human Services