U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program

The Housing Counseling Grant Program will provide funds to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved housing counseling agencies that provide counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, with respect to property maintenance, financial management, and literacy, and other matters as may be appropriate to assist program clients in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership.

Housing Counseling Program priorities include but are not limited to:

1. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies to enable them to provide quality services to consumers to address their housing and financial needs.
2. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies based on past performance.
3. Reduce the administrative costs to program participants when applying for and reporting on HUD funding while maintaining accountability for federal funds.
4. Leverage external resources and funding to increase the sustainability of quality housing counseling programs.
5. Prepare the housing counseling industry for housing counselor testing and certification.
6. Ensure distribution of funding amounts for rural areas with low levels of access to housing counseling services, including areas with insufficient access to the Internet.
7. Provide housing counseling services to traditionally underserved populations, such as minorities, seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons with limited English proficiency.
8. Reform government services and expand opportunities for more Americans to become self-sufficient. HUD is developing EnVision Centers in select communities across the nation. Individuals will be able to utilize the services of EnVision Centers located in these pilot communities, as well as through mobile applications and the EnVision Network organizations. For more information, visit hud.gov/envisioncenters.

Amount: Approximately $43,000,000 is available to make up to 250 awards of up to $3,000,000 each for a project period of 18 months.

Eligibility: Applicants must be approved to participate in the HUD Housing Counseling Program prior to the funding announcement issue date. In addition, State Housing Finance Agencies (SHFAs) are eligible if they possess statutory authority to provide housing counseling throughout their entire state and adhere to all program requirements.

Applicants, Subgrantees, and Branches must be:

• Tax-exempt organizations under Internal Revenue Code section 501 (a) as described in IRS section 501(c), or units of local, county, or state government
• In good standing under the laws and regulations of the state of their organization
• Authorized to do business in the states in which they propose to provide housing counseling services

See funding announcement for additional details on eligibility.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=316382

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