HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) has announced $1.5 million in new funding to create and relaunch a specialized training academy dedicated to preparing civil rights professionals to combat housing discrimination. Named for the Nation’s first African-American woman to hold a cabinet-level position, the Patricia R. Harris National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA) will train civil rights professionals nationwide and provide a clearinghouse of fair housing education and outreach material.
The Fair Housing Act makes housing discrimination illegal on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. This includes housing discrimination in renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities.
About NFHTA
Through this premier training academy, the chosen applicant and FHEO will provide training related to housing discrimination, civil rights history, and current housing discrimination trends, and will teach methodologies to assess housing discrimination at local, state, and national levels. NFHTA will prepare civil rights professionals to understand the investigative process and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of complaint processing. NFHTA will also serve as a think tank and conduit through which current and future generations of civil rights professionals share and explore best practices and raise industry standards. This includes the creation of a consistently evolving clearinghouse of fair housing education and outreach materials.
FHEO and the chosen applicant will select appropriate modalities to teach civil rights professionals. It is anticipated that HUD and the applicant will offer at least six high-quality trainings per year (each training lasting 24-32 hours and training approximately 20-30 persons). Trainings may include a blend of pre- and post-training reading materials, in-person trainings, webinars, videos, and/or other effective methods to create an environment that achieves identified outcomes.
Applicants must identify at least one individual (or a cadre of individuals) with at least two years of demonstrated experience conducting investigations, litigation, and/or education and outreach under the federal Fair Housing Act and/or state or local laws that HUD has determined to be substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act. Necessary experience includes delivery of training courses, ongoing review of courses to ensure accuracy and relevance, and development of new courses and new course delivery methods. Applicants must also have experience marketing training services to potential users. Identified individuals may include staff, contractors, or consultants.
How to Apply
HUD’s Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 was published to Grants.gov on Monday, December 17, 2018, under funding opportunity number FR-6200-N-06. Due to the government shutdown that began on December 22, 2018, HUD has extended the application due date to 11:59:59 PM EDT on March 14, 2019. The NOFA text and all other application requirements remain the same.
In addition to reading the full NOFA announcement on Grants.gov, potential applicants are encouraged to view the information about the NOFA on the Community Compass NOFA page. The NOFA page will be periodically updated to include Frequently Asked Questions, links to pre-recorded webinars, webinar presentation slides, and other relevant information.
On March 4, 2019, JPMorgan Chase is opening its sixth Partnerships for Raising Opportunities in Neighborhoods (PRO Neighborhoods) CDFI Collaborative Competition.
JPMorgan Chase launched PRO Neighborhoods – a five-year, $125 million effort – in 2016 to address neighborhood quality issues that are among the biggest drivers of income and wealth inequality. Thriving neighborhoods are critical to the long-term economic success of individuals, communities and cities, but every city faces its own set of challenges and needs a localized, inclusive strategy.
To address these challenges and source innovative models, JPMorgan Chase hosts an annual competition that encourages Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to develop creative partnerships and invest in local solutions that advance a comprehensive, strategic vision for the community.
To date, JPMorgan Chase has hosted five competitions, awarding more than $98 million to 25 groups of CDFIs across the country – work that’s highlighted in a progress report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The report found that after its $68 million investment, the winners of the first three competitions raised an additional $713 million in outside capital, issued over 21,000 loans to low-to-moderate income customers, and created or preserved over 3,000 affordable housing units and 11,000 quality jobs.
COMPETITION DETAILS
JPMorgan Chase is soliciting proposals for two opportunities:
‘Planning for Equitable Development Grants’ aka ‘planning grants’ for local multidisciplinary leaders, such as economic development focused government agencies, community development organizations, to identify the greatest needs facing their communities and develop a new equitable neighborhood plan. These plans will outline a vision and approach for how a capital strategy by a collaborative of CDFIs can address some of the biggest barriers to opportunity in distressed neighborhoods. Successful applicants will be eligible for a one-year grant of up to $100,000.
‘Collaborative Capital for Equitable Development’ aka ‘capital grants’ for CDFI Collaboratives that are proposing a capital strategy to advance an existing equitable neighborhood plan that addresses a documented challenge within their neighborhood(s). We are looking to support proposals that outline how the CDFIs will create a direct link from capital investment to the larger vision. Successful applicants will be eligible for a three-year grant of up to $5 million.
Applications are encouraged from the full list of eligible markets, as well as encouraged to (1) be specific about the neighborhoods and populations they are serving, (2) support the growth of diverse led CDFIs, (3) build the balance sheet of CDFIs with net assets of less than $75 million, and (4) support innovative strategies by local CDFIs that combine balance sheets, talent and technology to advance economic opportunity in distressed neighborhoods.
The RFP launches on March 4 and proposals are due by April 22 midnight PST. Winners will be announced in October.
INFORMATION CALL
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) is hosting an informational call with JPMorgan Chase’s Colleen Briggs and Mercedeh Mortazavi to answer your questions about the program and RFP:
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST
Please RSVP here: http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1749837967768176641
Questions? Email cdfi.requestforproposal@jpmchase.com.
Over $1 million was recently allocated to fund the Virginia Low Income and Weatherization Program.
The funds provide multifamily properties energy saving measures such as:
– Insulation and air sealing
– Furnace tune-ups
– Low-flow water measures
– About $1,500 per unit in capital improvements, completely funded by Washington Gas
There is NO COST to the property owners or residents to receive these measures. To be eligible:
– A property must be classified as “affordable housing,” or two-thirds of the residents must be considered “income eligible”
– Residents MUST have their own Washington Gas account
For additional information, please visit this website or call Mitch Fischler, Utility Programs Advisor at ZeroDraft to discuss: (410) 980-9774. You may also email info@zerodraftmd.com for further explanation.
Act quickly – funding expires in April!
Virginia Community Development Corporation’s award-winning Nonprofit Sustainability Challenge is now accepting applications!
The challenge is a dynamic 14-month intensive program to help your organization adapt and thrive during changing times. Two leaders from each of the participating organizations will identify, pursue and achieve success at a major challenge that will positively impact the organization’s long-term financial sustainability.
How does it work?
The program provides two leaders from each selected organization with information, tools, networking and coaching resources that enable them to develop and/or refine business strategies with an emphasis on long-term organizational sustainability.
Leaders from the selected organizations must commit to:
-Attend the following retreat dates:
June 2-4, 2019
October 6-8, 2019
February 23-25, 2020
June 14-16, 2020
-Participate in three webinars and at least 15 individual organizational coaching calls.
-Completion of all reading and assignments over the 14-month program.
-Participants must commit to a significant amount of time outside of the above program framework (retreats, webinars, readings/assignments and conference calls) to achieve measurable results.
Tuition (representing a small portion of program costs) is $2,000 per organization plus travel costs.
Applications are due April 5, 2019. For more details on this program and information on how to apply, check out the flyer here.
CohnReznick invites you to join its team for a discussion on affordable housing development. To be discussed are timely topics making national and local industry headlines along with business and tax issues impacting your deals:
Discussion Topics
Who Should Attend
Key decision-makers of companies involved in the affordable housing industry—developers, owners, property managers, syndicators, investors, and lenders. It will offer an ideal networking venue that will enable attendees to connect, exchange ideas, and develop relationships.
Local Locations and Dates
Baltimore – January 24, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET
Address: 500 East Pratt Street, 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD
Bethesda – January 25, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET
Address: 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 400E, Bethesda, MD
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Payments: Orders placed on the event registration page are not confirmed until payment is received. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you paid by credit card, a receipt will be sent to the email address listed in your registration. If you mail a check, all payments must be received within seven days of completing your registration form. Checks should be remitted to: HAND, PO Box 48386, Washington, DC 20002
Guest List & Dietary Preference: If your registration includes a luncheon table or multiple guests, please submit guest names and menu choices by May 1, 2020. Submit guest names here.
Housing Expo: Plan to exhibit? Download the Housing Expo FAQs here.
Omni Shoreham Hotel Room Block: For attendees looking to secure overnight accommodations on May 25th, HAND has secured a rate starting at $189 for conference attendees. There are a limited amount of rooms available, so visit this link today to reserve your room. May 10th is the last day to secure a room at the discounted rate.
Ad Submission: The artwork for advertisements should be submitted to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. You can download the ad spec sheet here. Deadline for ad submission is April 13, 2020.
Cancellations & Changes: If you wish to cancel or change your registration for the Annual Meeting & Housing Expo, please send a request in writing to annualmeeting@handhousing.org. All cancellation requests made prior to April 27th will receive a 50% refund. For cancellation requests made after April 27th, no refund will be provided.
Door Prizes: Are you interested in donating a door prize to this year’s Annual Meeting? Email annualmeeting@handhousing.org to coordinate with our team.
Mailing Address:
HAND
1330 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Suite 124
Washington, DC 20036
info@handhousing.org
202.384.3764
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