Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants (Section 4) | FR 6300 N 07

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6300 N 07

The Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants (Section 4) is a discretionary grant program run by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (CFDA 14.252). Its core purpose is to strengthen the organizational capacity of local community-based housing and development groups by funding national intermediaries that can, in turn, support Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). The end goal is practical and outcome-focused: helping these local organizations more effectively develop affordable housing and carry out community development activities that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income people and families.

The grant is designed around the idea that many CDCs and CHDOs have strong local missions but may need deeper technical skills, stronger administrative systems, and better access to early-stage resources to successfully plan, finance, and implement projects. Section 4 funding can therefore be used for capacity-building services such as training, education, and ongoing technical assistance. This includes strengthening an organization s ability to participate in key local and regional planning processes, including consolidated planning, fair housing planning, and Continuum of Care homeless assistance efforts. In practice, that means helping organizations engage meaningfully in community-wide needs assessments, coordinate with other stakeholders, and contribute to more coherent local strategies for housing, homelessness, and neighborhood investment.

Beyond training and planning support, Section 4 funds can also flow as financial assistance that enables real projects to move forward. The opportunity allows national intermediaries to provide loans, pass-through grants, development assistance, predevelopment assistance, or similar support to CDCs and CHDOs. These forms of assistance are especially important for early project phases when organizations need funds for activities like site acquisition, initial feasibility work, architectural and engineering work, environmental reviews, market studies, and other steps that typically happen before construction financing is secured. Eligible outcomes include acquiring, constructing, or rehabilitating housing for low-income or low- and moderate-income households, along with community and economic development activities that create jobs for low-income people. The program also leaves room for additional activities, as long as they are determined appropriate by the grantee in consultation with HUD leadership or a designated representative.

A central priority of Section 4 is that capacity building should not happen in isolation. HUD emphasizes that activities supported under this program should help advance and implement other HUD programs, including (but not limited to) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships, Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), and the Continuum of Care program. In other words, Section 4 is meant to help local organizations become stronger partners and implementers within the broader HUD ecosystem, improving coordination, compliance readiness, and the ability to deliver projects that align with federal and local community development strategies.

HUD also signals policy priorities that grantees are encouraged to incorporate into their work. These include sustainability and comprehensive neighborhood revitalization, as well as aligning capacity building and downstream investments with initiatives that support transformative revitalization. That emphasis points to projects and strategies tied to job growth, economic recovery, and neighborhood revitalization rather than isolated developments. Where relevant regional planning efforts are already underway, grantees are encouraged to consider how CDCs and CHDOs can align investments with regional strategies for sustainable economic development, which reflects a preference for coordinated, cross-jurisdiction approaches to housing and community development challenges.

From an applicant and administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a HUD discretionary grant (Funding Opportunity Number FR 6300 N 07) using a grant funding instrument. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education) and other entities as clarified in the official eligibility guidance. The funding is structured to support a small number of awards (expected awards: 3). The notice lists an application deadline of March 12, 2020, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data, which typically indicates that the ceiling was not specified in that field or is defined elsewhere in the full notice rather than meaning awards have no monetary value.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants (Section 4)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.252.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 09, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 12, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FR 6300 N 07

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