18-01 NOFA - Financial Empowerment Center - CDBG FY26 -v3 FINAL.docx

Dallas Financial Empowerment Centers – Drivers of Poverty/Drivers of Opportunity Program

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS (CDBG)

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)

Section 1: Project Scope and Requirements

Project Scope The City of Dallas Office of Housing and Community Empowerment (OHCE) is accepting applications for a grant with a one-year term. for nonprofit organizations to serve as a subrecipient under the Drivers of Opportunity to: (1) provide professional financial counseling services, (2) operate as a Dallas Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) hub site, (3) provide FEC services at city-owned Dallas FEC co-locations and (4) provide financial literacy programming opportunities to residents in coordination with the City of Dallas (City) (collectively, the Services). The subrecipient shall be considered a FEC partner provider. The purpose of the FEC is to facilitate sustained household financial stability for very low-to-moderate income clients by providing the Services to residents. Subrecipient (also known as “Applicant” or “Selected Applicant”) should seek to integrate the Services into existing social service delivery models through partnerships and collaborations, thus enabling Dallas residents to access a variety of benefits, services and resources designed to advance economic mobility. The Services will be provided to very low to moderate income households of the City of Dallas as defined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) Area Median Income (“AMI”).

Funding for the program will be provided through the City of Dallas Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Funding is subject to appropriation and contingent upon (a) recommendation by the City Manager in the budget and approval by City Council, and (b) the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approval of the City’s Annual Action Plan and execution of the grant agreements. The City of Dallas will follow the CDBG Regulations as laid out in Attachment S – Certain CDBG Regulations.

Public Purpose August 6, 2025, City Council adopted FY2025-26 HUD Consolidated Plan Budget for HUD Grant Funds, and at the close of the public hearing, authorize final adoption of the FY 2025-26 HUD Consolidated Plan Budget for U.S. Department of HUD Grant Funds in an estimated amount of $29,886,873. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) was approved for $12,944,689. A portion of these CDBG funds were approved for the Dallas Financial Empowerment Center by Council Resolution No. 25-1185.

Prospective Applicant Eligibility and Special Requirements This NOFA is open to the following entities: non-profit entities (see IRS, Sec. 501c(3)) and community organizations. Evidence-based (“”, “Client Led Coaching: A random assignment ”) practices shall be included in the program administration. Additionally, applications for funding should include information about historic programming performance to help demonstrate the likely success of the proposed program. Applicants should also demonstrate that they possess the fiscal stability and management systems to meet the expected performance goals, and it is imperative that each Applicant understands federal grants, grant management, and grant compliance.

A minimum of 12 months and preference of 24 months of relevant experience providing financial coaching and/or counseling is required. Funding will be awarded based on an assessment of relevant experience, qualifications, historic programming performance and the Work Plan provided by the Organization in the Application Form (Attachment A). Preference will be shown for organizations that meet all minimum requirements.

The City is committed to ensuring the transparency, objectivity, and integrity of the subrecipient selection process. Every Applicant will be evaluated by a panel based on scoring criteria described in Section 4 of this NOFA. Each panel member shall adhere to the City’s procedures regarding the objective evaluation of NOFA Applications and internal controls to ensure that all grant applications, award procedures, and conflict of interest requirements are consistently followed. The City shall retain adequate documentation to support the evaluation scores, including justifications for any deviations to the established NOFA application scoring methodology (Attachment G).

No applications will be accepted from entities that have been suspended, debarred, or otherwise prohibited from participating in federal awards. The City will verify the status of the organization prior to finalizing a grant award.

If selected, an Applicant will be required to complete and maintain certain documentation, such as client files, outcome verification documentation, client service agreements, financial health assessments etc., to verify that the Services have been provided, to whom they were provided, and how those clients were determined to be eligible. Additionally, an Applicant will be required to submit monthly progress reports on/by the 15th day of each month that include clients served and progress against Program goals.

The City is seeking Applicants who are able to demonstrate a history of successful service delivery of financial empowerment programming that is aligned to the municipal financial empowerment strategy outlined by Cities for Financial Empowerment, Inc. (read more about CFE at https://cfefund.org/project/financial-empowerment-cities/) and identified best practice models, such as Working Families Success Model, and/or Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) aligned programming. Applicants should cite research and document programmatic fidelity to identify program best practices and/or service delivery models to the best extent possible and should demonstrate within their application the justification for the Program approach and how their program components are best suited to reach the Program’s target population.

As part of the City of Dallas FEC Program network, the selected Applicant (Subrecipient) should expect to work closely and often with the City, other FEC partner providers and FEC network members, including on marketing and outreach. Dallas FEC and City of Dallas (OHCE) branding should be included on all outreach materials and marketing programs. We aim to collectively serve at least 1,000 unduplicated City residents per fiscal year (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) with one-on-one financial counseling. Each contract year, each FEC counselor should work to serve 166 new clients resulting in 480 financial counseling sessions per year generating 100-150 outcomes based on the FEC public outcomes and milestones (Attachment O). All Program staff funded using CDBG funds will be expected to maintain a client caseload, except for the Program Manager. Site-based staff, such as site supervisors and/or lead caseworkers, should directly deliver services, but may have a reduced caseload to enable them to provide support to staff and program oversight.

Requirements for Dallas FEC Partner Providers All FEC partner providers must adhere to partner and programmatic requirements:

· Recruit, hire, provide training for and supervise the FEC counselors (minimum of 2-3 per site, depending on funding level) and have a full-time Program Manager overseeing all FEC programmatic work. They are responsible for all data collection and regular reporting to the City and the CFE Fund, as applicable. If Applicant utilizes site managers/lead counselors to assist in managing operations, they must meet three-quarters of minimum counselor session and outcome/achievement requirements.

· Schedule financial counseling service availability weekday evenings and Saturdays on an ongoing basis. Schedule will be determined by partner for capacity consideration.

· Provide financial education sessions in coordination with the City in group settings (virtually and in person). Must be flexible to provide Services during evenings and weekends. Financial counselors should engage in this process as community financial empowerment experts.

· Utilize proprietary software database distributed by Cities for Financial Empowerment, Inc. (CFE) to systematically track data with defined outcomes for client management, counselor service evaluation and programmatic evaluation.

· Seek to integrate Services within a range of social service delivery systems and programs (local government and/or community partners).

· Activate funding sustainability and expansion efforts to become a permanent Dallas FEC partner provider in Dallas.

· Assist in coordinating and participating in a minimum of two Citywide Financial Empowerment events.

· Participate in marketing and communications efforts highlighting the Dallas FEC Program inclusive of but not limited to an updated website and/or hub site signage (submitted budgets should account and include expenditures on marketing and communications). Marketing and communications strategic plans must be coordinated with and approved by the City.

· List the City of Dallas as lead sponsor, or the equivalent, for events, marketing, communications, press releases, fundraising activities, etc.

· Complete hiring, training requirements, and pass financial counseling certification exams within eight (8) weeks of contract execution so there is no gap in Services provided (i.e. must be serving clients with certified coaches within 8 weeks.) Financial counseling training must be completed by City of Dallas approved training providers. The City may prioritize applications based on the timeline to operationalize service delivery. The City may consider partners that cannot meet the eight-week deadline when considering overall score and location service distribution.

· All counselors must be trained based on the FEC Counselor Training Standards and pass a CFE Fund–administered final exam. Review FEC counselor training overview (Attachment N).

· Each full-time financial counselor should strive to meet and exceed 480 counseling sessions annually, generating 100-150 outcomes. Serving 166 new clients annually (13.8 per month) - 166 1st sessions (314 sessions remaining), 2nd session retention rate of 75% 124.5 session (189.5 remaining), 3rd session 60% retention rate 74.7 sessions (114.8), 4th session retention rate 70% 52.29 sessions (62.51), 5th session 70% retention 36.603 sessions (25.907), 6th session 70% retention rate 25.6221 sessions (<1). Consistent failure to meet or near these goals could lead to contract amendments, reductions or termination.

· Each financial counselor must complete 30 hours of professional development activities annually. Each FEC partner provider must track and report on the completion of required financial counseling professional development activities. The City will assist in providing professional development opportunities.

· Financial counselors that do not have a full caseload (exceeding 50 active clients) must engage in activities that increase the community uptake of the Dallas FEC Program. Achieving an ideal full case load for a new financial counselor would follow as such: Month 1-13.8 new client caseload, Month 2- 24.15 clients (13.8 new clients, M1-10.35 clients retained), M3- 30.36 clients (13.8 new, M2-10.35 clients retained, M1-6.21 clients retained), M4- 34.71 clients (13.8 new clients, M3-10.35 retained, M2-6.21, M1-4.347 retained), M5 37.74 clients (13.8 new clients, M4-10.35 retained, M3-6.21 retained, M2-4.347 clients retained, M1-3.04 clients retained), M6 39.87 clients (13.8 new, M5-10.35, M4-6.21, M3-4.347, M2-3.04, M1-2.13).

· City funds should not represent more than 75% funding for the organization’s overall Dallas-located FEC programming.

Funding Information, Service Area, and Target Population The CDBG award information and NOFA grant fund information is listed below:

- Up to 2 awards * Must already meet FEC staffing and training requirements. Can provide FEC services immediately

*The City may award all funds to Tier 1 or Tier 2 Applicants or a combination of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Applicants. The total amount of awards shall not exceed $300,000.00.

This NOFA includes one funding source:

(1) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)- $300,000.00 - services for very low to moderate income City of Dallas households and City of Dallas staff.

(2) CDBG funds may not be utilized to offset existing operational costs associated with the Applicants’ financial counseling activities and programming.

During the term of the Agreement (Term or the Performance Period) the Subrecipient shall use the grant funds to administer the Program and/or deliver Services to eligible individuals within the Target Population within the Service Area (Dallas, Texas).

Target Population Financial Empowerment Center services provide bundled one-on-one financial coaching from a FEC trained provider with one or more Parallel Services and one or more Tailored Services (defined below). The City is looking for FEC partner providers with a core or hub FEC facility in one of the below communities and outreach and service delivery in other target communities through partnership, co-location, or other collaborative efforts. A Subrecipient may be asked by the City to staff or locate in an identified priority site throughout the term if its staffing capacity permits.

Applicants will be evaluated based on prior experience providing financial counseling services, particularly those that align with Cities for Financial Empowerment, Inc. best practices, and applications that identify unique qualifications in servicing the Target Communities listed in Table 1 by offering Services through one FEC site (hub) at a location that is easily accessible to residents in the targeted area, ideally within the defined community and/or zip codes. However, an Applicant with a proposed FEC site may be considered if, as documented in the application, it is near the target area and is easily accessible for residents of a Target Community. Additionally, Applicants are encouraged to provide Services in additional Target Communities by adding additional service delivery sites through partnership co-locations. Applicants may refer to the map of 2024 Qualified Census Tracts in Dallas (Attachment Q), as a reference for location and Target Communities, as well as Table 1. Subrecipient should not limit service delivery at FECs and service delivery sites to residents by zip code but should limit service delivery to Dallas residents and City of Dallas employees.

Table 1: Target Communities by Areas, and Zip Codes

Applicant should include a summary of their general target population and Program eligibility criteria for tailored, parallel services or any other integrated services. Services should generally target very low-income to moderate-income clients, based on HUD income guidelines.

The City will provide technical assistance throughout the agreement term. Subrecipient shall have regular meetings (at least monthly) with City contract oversight and programming staff for review of processes, client files and other Program items throughout the agreement term.

Additionally, Applicants are encouraged to target these populations:

· Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

· Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

· Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast (SBP) programs

· Medicare Part D Low-income Subsidies

· Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

· Head Start and/or Early Head Start

· Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

· Section 8 Vouchers

· Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

· Pell Grants

Section 2: Program Scope and Guidance

Program Scope Applicants must, in its application, outline the specific services to be provided in alignment with the Services. Certain Program components are required, while other components are optional based upon the specific needs of their target population. By establishing multiple partnerships in multiple communities with similar programmatic foundations and varied supporting services, the City strives to have a broad-reaching Dallas FEC’s Program.

FEC Required, Parallel, and Tailored Services FEC partner providers must include multiple components outlined below:

· One-on-one financial counseling based on the FEC training standards – Individualized financial counseling and case management that is designed to meet the needs of the individual client or family over a term of several months or more. This should include the establishment of short, medium and long-term goals for clients. Services should include financial education group trainings, facilitating access to financial services, asset building programs, support on establishing accurate budgets, establishing or improving credit scores, establishing or increasing savings, debt reduction plans, and similar services (see Attachment O).

· Income Supports – Services such as benefits screening and application/enrollment support, temporary financial assistance, housing assistance, food assistance, tax preparation services, and other similar services.

· Employment Services – Services including skills assessments, job training, certification programs, job search and job placement assistance, job retention support, and programming that enables clients to participate in such services.

· Asset Building – Support for clients in building assets and accessing resources that make prosperity achievable. Asset building strategies include things such as savings accounts, business ownership, home ownership, college and retirement accounts, and other resources.

· Banking and Financial Services Access – Services to support access to affordable and accessible financial products and services, including banking, credit unions, community development financial institutions and other non-profit asset building programs for individuals and small businesses.

Each Applicant must include one-on-one financial coaching as the primary service and financial literacy programming as a secondary service. Each Applicant should also describe: (i) the service delivery process for financial counseling; (i) financial education and delivery of and/or referrals for Parallel Services and Tailored Services; (iii) justification for the selection of the specified Services; (iv) how the selected services will best support an identified target population(s); and (v) identify referral partners. It is not required that the Applicant deliver all Services, but the Application should outline how it will deliver Services in combination with partners and collaborators using a bundled Services approach.

Multiple bundled Services should be delivered within a site – a Financial Empowerment Center – to minimize client barriers to access. An Applicant may also deliver Services virtually if, in its application, an Applicant describes how it will help clients overcome barriers to accessing virtual service delivery.

Applicants should outline a service delivery model that includes the components described in Chart 1 below:

Chart 1: Required Program Components

Application Considerations The City is seeking a Subrecipient that can provide Services in multiple areas of the City and to reach multiple population targets, therefore the City will prioritize funding Applicants who can serve different areas of the City of Dallas to the extent possible and as outlined in the Target Communities section of this NOFA (see chart below).

Applicants will be required to submit monthly Program reports as well as monthly expenditures reports and reimbursement requests. Annually, the City will conduct a Program assessment by aggregating the reports and solicit feedback from the Subrecipient, client participants, and partner organizations. This assessment will enable the City to continuously improve programming, and determine funding priorities and service delivery for future Program years.

Section 3: Performance Requirements and Evaluation Monitoring Review The City reserves the right to conduct periodic on-site monitoring of the Subrecipient’s program and fiscal operations to ensure compliance with the agreement terms and conditions and, as applicable, federal, state, and local requirements. The City will require the Subrecipient to sign a subrecipient agreement, approved as to form by the City Attorney, and necessary documents prior to Program implementation.

Grant Performance Period Organizations should not begin the delivery of Services without. – a fully executed contract, approved as to form by the City Attorney.

After execution of the agreement, funding is available and will be distributed on a reimbursement basis only. A Subrecipient will not be reimbursed for Services delivered prior to agreement execution or without the City’s approval to begin service delivery. The Subrecipient will be asked to submit a monthly report of Program activities and documented expenditures for reimbursement. The City reserves the right to withdraw or reduce the amount of an award, or to cancel the agreement if adequate funding is not available. The Grant Award is subject to approval by the City Manager.

Program Metrics and Impact Evaluation For the Dallas FEC Program, selected Subrecipient will be required to utilize the FECBot client management system and track client progress within this system. The City will provide training opportunities for the FECBot system. FEC public outcomes and milestones (Attachment O) outlines the specific achievements and milestones that will be tracked within that system for each client.

Applicant, in its application, should include a comprehensive program evaluation plan that demonstrates Program impact. The evaluation plan should include proposed metrics and targets identified by the Applicant. All Applicants should include at least one output metric and one outcome metric for each service provided.

An Applicant may choose to report on additional metrics and should articulate an evaluation plan for the Program.

Required Outputs

· Number of unduplicated participants completing 1 official session

· Number of total official sessions completed

· Total number of clients served this month

· Individual Counselor Performance Metrics (tracked quarterly)

Required Outcomes

· Participants who achieve savings

· Participants who reduce non-mortgage debt 10%+

· Participants who increase their credit score

· Unscored participants establishing a credit score

· Number of Financial Literacy Classes held

· Number of Financial Literacy Attendees

Examples of Metrics Below are examples of the types of metrics that may be reported as outcomes or outputs for financial empowerment programs. These examples highlight the types of metrics that a report may include and are not necessarily a specific metric or set of metrics required for this NOFA.

Examples of Output Metrics:

· Total number of participants, including race, ethnicity, household income (or appropriate proxy based on program)

· Percentage of participants that review their credit report

· Participants enrolled in VITA services

· Participants enrolled in matched savings program

Examples of Outcome Metrics:

· Percentage of Clients w/ 4+ sessions improved their financial capabilities score (annual)

· Percentage of participants who remain housed for six months or more

· Percentage of participants who maintain employment six months or more

Evaluation Plan The Applicant’s evaluation plan should clearly articulate:

· Target Measures to demonstrate the Program impact, as selected by the Applicant, and justification of these targets and measures as a means of demonstrating impact;

· Short-term and medium-term program outcomes, as well as long-term outcomes, to the extent possible (for example, if funding is being used to supplement existing programming - these metrics could be tracked for longer than six months);

· Definition of client eligibility (generally defined by Applicant within the parameters of the NOFA) and the client documentation required to ensure eligibility;

· An explanation of the data collection and evaluation process for each proposed target and for the Program overall;

· Who is responsible for collection, analysis, and reporting of data;

· The frequency with which data is collected and analyzed or a timeline for collecting, analyzing and reporting program data; and

· Samples or examples of the Applicant’s Program evaluation plan or measurement tools.

· Applicants are strongly encouraged to include a program logic model with its application.

Eligible Participants The Applicant must be experienced in delivering programming and Services for residents of the City of Dallas and/or City employees. In some cases, Services may be offered at sites that are not within the City of Dallas but should be offered to Dallas residents. In the event a client is incarcerated at the time of service, the agency should confirm that the client was a City resident at the time of incarceration and intends to return to the City of Dallas upon release. Applications should include demographics and needs data relating to the proposed target population and community site location within the application.

Required Client Eligibility Documentation Confirmation of Eligibility - Programs should obtain upon client intake the clients primary address that states they are City of Dallas residents. Clients primary address can be verified by a primary ID, utility bill, student ID, library card or other identifying documents. For City employees, an employee ID number and hire date will be necessary. Programs that provide significant Services to a direct beneficiary or client, should expect to document eligibility for each client served.

Programs that provide significant Services to a direct beneficiary or client, should expect to document eligibility for each client served.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, along with other HUD CPD programs, qualifies as a federal public benefit under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) and is therefore subject to immigration eligibility verification requirements.

Allowable Costs The City seeks to avoid subsequent disallowance or disputes based on unreasonableness or non-allocability of costs incurred by the Subrecipient. To this end, the selected Subrecipient will be required to collect and maintain documentation for all clients or populations of the Target Population/eligible participants served during the Performance Period.

Applicants should outline all cost using the Budget Worksheet (Attachment B) and should outline these costs and justifications in the Budget Narrative section 6 of the Application Form (Attachment A). The selected Subrecipient will be required to submit a reimbursement request no later than the 15th day of each month for billing. The reimbursement request must be accompanied by the Monthly Target Analysis and Direct Benefits Form, if applicable as well as supporting documentation for each expenditure. Costs are paid on a reimbursement basis and require evidence of payment prior to reimbursement request.

For purposes of this NOFA, an Applicant seeking to use grant funds for equipment or facilities must explicitly include such items in the proposed budget submitted as part of its application. In addition, an Applicant must reasonably articulate the individuals expected to benefit from the equipment or facilities, and should track, upon purchase or completion, resident use for reporting purposes. The acquisition of real property or real property improvements are not allowable, either as direct or indirect costs, under this NOFA. Similarly, capital improvements are not allowable, either as direct or indirect costs, under this NOFA.

Grant Payable on Reimbursement Basis The City shall pay Request for Reimbursement within 45 days. For the City to pay reimbursement expenditures within 45 days, the request must be correct, complete, and reflect the work or goods delivered to the City. The 45 days begin when the City has received a correct request reflecting the Services delivered. If the City receives a request that is not correct and/or reflective of the Services that have been delivered, the City will request a corrected request and the 45-day period will begin once the correct request has been received. All work described in the request must have been delivered in compliance with the agreement.

Requests for Reimbursements shall be submitted monthly to the City for payment, unless both parties agree to alternative arrangement based on project milestones. Each request submitted shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

· Name and address of the department for which Services were provided

· Contact information of City staff contract compliance administrator (name, phone number, department)

· Program Periods / Service Delivery Period

· Monthly Target Analysis and Direct Benefits Forms attached

· Reimbursement Request Form including each cost consistent with approved Program budget (charges for all Services covered by the agreement are to be separately stated and explained)

· Total reimbursement request

· Supporting documentation for each cost (invoice / receipt + evidence of payment)

Provided that the Subrecipient submits sufficient documentation, only the eligible expenses identified in the report will be accepted. Administrative fees/costs and Program costs will be reported separately to ensure compliance with the terms. Certain indirect costs require prior written approval from the Director of the OHCE or his/her designee (Director). For purposes of this NOFA, a Subrecipient seeking reimbursements for any expense be it Direct, Administrative, or Indirect must explicitly include such items in the proposed budget submitted as part of its application and must be approved.

Submitting reimbursement requests without the above information may cause delays in payment processing. Incorrect or incomplete reimbursement requests will delay payment. Vendors who fail to follow this procedure risk having the agreement with the City terminated.

Section 4: Application Requirements

Evaluation and Criteria Each application will be reviewed and scored by a panel consisting of City staff. Each Application will be scored by a panel of evaluators according to the below criteria. See Attachment G – Scoring / Evaluation Form for more details.

SUMMARY

If notified of a grant award under this NOFA, such notice does not constitute a commitment of funds by the City, which shall only occur if an Applicant is awarded funding by Administrative Action or Council Resolution, the funds have been appropriated, and a subrecipient agreement, approved as to form by the City Attorney, has been timely executed by the selected Applicant and the City of Dallas.

Acceptance of Evaluation Methodology By submitting an application in response to this NOFA, the Applicant accepts the evaluation process as outlined herein and acknowledges and accepts the City’s selection or non-selection of an Applicant, determination of award amount, and ranking of the applications.

Grounds for Applicant Rejection or Disqualification The City reserves the right not to select any Applicant due to funding limitations, insufficient Application quality, or any other factors deemed appropriate by the City Manager in his/her sole discretion, including but not limited to a lack of transparency, objectivity, integrity among the evaluation panel, or the outcome of the risk assessment. The City also reserves the right to reject any application submitted by an Applicant. The following may be cause for the City to reject an Applicant, as determined by the City Manager in his/her sole discretion:

· Submission of an application which is not signed by an individual empowered to bind the Applicant (e.g., President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Administrator).

· Evidence of a conflict of interest.

· Evidence of an unfair competitive advantage.

· Evidence of collusion among two or more Applicants and/or a member of the evaluation panel.

· Applications received from an Applicant when its principals are currently debarred or suspended by federal, state or city governmental agencies.

· Poor performance of an Applicant in execution of work or default under a previous City contract or agreement.

· Evidence of failure to pay subcontractors, suppliers, or employees in accordance with previous City contract/agreement requirements.

· Applications containing omissions, alterations of form, additions, qualifications, or conditions not called for by the City, or incomplete applications.

· Failure to negotiate in good faith and execute, in a timely manner, necessary Subrecipient agreement or other documents, after award.

· Failure of an Applicant to demonstrate its experience with Projects of similar size, scope, and complexity or provide similar Services within or outside the Service Area.

· Evidence of an Applicant’s lack of sufficient resources, workforce, resources, equipment, or supervision.

Compliance with Federal and State Laws

Texas Public Information Act Subrecipient understands that the City must comply with Texas Government Code, Chapter 552 (TPIA) as interpreted by judicial ruling and opinions of the Attorney General of the State of Texas (OAG). Subrecipient agrees to make available to the City contracting information under this Agreement. Such information shall be promptly (but not later than three (3) business days of Subrecipient’s receipt of City’s written request) provided to the City at no cost. Subrecipient agrees to mark and clearly identify documents and information provided in writing that it contends to be a trade secret, proprietary or confidential. If the City receives an information request related to Subrecipient or this Agreement, the City shall make a good faith attempt to notify Subrecipient of the request in accordance with the TPIA, and Subrecipient may seek a decision from the OAG that the information is protected from required disclosure. The Parties acknowledge that to object to the release of records, Subrecipient must submit a letter brief to the OAG explaining why the claimed exceptions apply to the information. The City shall not be obligated to submit a letter brief supporting those claimed exceptions; instead, Subrecipient shall be solely responsible for submitting the brief that the information is protected from disclosure and providing a copy of the documents to the OAG. If the OAG issues a determination indicating that all or part of the information must be disclosed, the City shall disclose the information unless Subrecipient notifies the City that is has timely filed or intervened in a suit against the OAG in accordance with TPIA. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the City to fund, reimburse, institute or participate in any litigation relating to an information request. Subrecipient agrees to comply with the TPIA, a subpoena, court order, search warrant, or other legal process. Subrecipient acknowledges that the City cannot guarantee that any information it receives will be kept confidential, and this Agreement is not a basis to withhold information from required disclosure under the TPIA, a subpoena, court order, search warrant, or other legal process.

Right to Reject This NOFA does not commit the City to select any Applicant, award any grant, or enter into any subrecipient agreement. The City reserves the right to reject any and all Applications or parts of Applications. Late or substantially incomplete Applications shall be rejected and shall not be considered. The City, however, at its sole option, may consider and accept an application, even though not prepared and submitted in strict accordance with the provisions hereof, by waiving informalities, minor irregularities, and/or technicalities as determined by the City Manager based on Director recommendation. The City may reject the Application of an organization that is in litigation with the City or which has previously failed to perform properly on engagements of a similar nature, and may reject the Application of an entity that is not, in the opinion of the City, in a position to satisfactorily provide the Program, deliver the Services, perform under Subrecipient agreement, or abide by the state or federal grant requirements, including the operational and fiscal monitoring and reporting requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any Application if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Applicant fails to satisfy the City that such Applicant is properly qualified or has the resources or expertise to satisfactorily provide the Program, deliver the Services, meet the conditions of the Subrecipient agreement, or abide by the state or federal grant requirements, including operational and fiscal monitoring and reporting requirements. The Applicant shall provide all information requested in order for the City to consider the Application as responsive, please review the Dallas FEC Responsiveness Checklist (Attachment F).

Non-Performance The City may terminate a contract or agreement if the City, in its sole discretion, feels the institution is not satisfactorily meetings its servicer requirements as specified herein. The City will provide written note of areas of non-performance and allow the institution up to 30 days to rectify the problem(s). If, after this 30-day period, the City has not been satisfied, the City may, at its option, terminate the contract or agreement by written notice.

Other Conditions In accordance with Chapter XXII, Section 11 of the Charter of The City: “No officer or employee of the City shall have a financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with the City, or be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the sale to the City of any land, materials, supplies or services….”

Unless otherwise stated in the specification, all Applications will be considered firm for acceptance within one hundred and fifty (150) days of Application opening date unless requested to be extended by the buyer. Any exception to this shall be so stated on the face of the Application.

Conflict of Interest The Applicant acknowledges that the following section of the Charter of the City of Dallas prohibits certain transactions between the City and its officers and employees, to wit:

CHARTER XXII Sec. 11 FINANCIAL INTEREST OF EMPLOYEE OR OFFICER PROHIBITED No city official or employee shall have any financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with the city, or be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the sale to the city of any land, materials, supplies or services, except on behalf of the city as a city official or employee. Any violation of this section shall constitute malfeasance in office, and any city official or employee guilty thereof shall thereby forfeit the city official’s or employee’s office or position with the city. Any violation of this section, with knowledge, express or implied, of the person or corporation contracting with the city shall render the contract involved voidable by the city manager or the City Council. The alleged violations of this section shall be matters to be determined either by the trial board in the case of employees who have the right to appeal to the trial board, and by the City Council in the case of other employees. The prohibitions of this section shall not apply to the participation by city employees in federally-funded housing programs, to the extent permitted by applicable federal or state law. This section does not apply to an ownership interest in a mutual or common investment fund that holds securities or other assets unless the person owns more than 10 percent of the value of the fund. This section does not apply to non-negotiated, form contracts for general city services or benefits if the city services or benefits are made available to the city official or employee on the same terms that they are made available to the general public. This section does not apply to a nominee or member of a city board or commission, including a city appointee to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board. A nominee or member of a city board or commission, including a city appointee to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board, shall comply with any applicable conflict of interest or ethics provisions in the state law and the Dallas City Code. (Amend. Of 8-12-89, Prop. No. 1; Amend. Of 8-12-89, Prop. No. 15; Amend. Of 11-4-14, Prop. Nos. 2 and 9)

Indemnity THE SUBRECIPIENT AGREES TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD THE CITY, ITS OFFICERS, AGENTS AND EMPLOYEES, HARMLESS AGAINST ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LAWSUITS, JUDGMENTS, COSTS, AND EXPENSES FOR PERSONAL INJURY (INCLUDING DEATH), PROPERTY DAMAGE OR OTHER HARM FOR WHICH RECOVERY OF DAMAGES IS SOUGHT, SUFFERED BY ANY PERSON OR PERSONS, THAT MAY ARISE OUT OF OR BE OCCASIONED BY SUBRECIPIENT’S BREACH OF ANY OF THE TERMS OR PROVISIONS OF THE AGREEMENT, OR BY ANY OTHER NEGLIGENT OR STRICTLY LIABLE ACT OR OMISSION OF SUBRECIPIENT, ITS OFFICERS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, OR SUBCONTRACTORS, IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AGREEMENT; EXCEPT THAT THE INDEMNITY PROVIDED FOR IN THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY TO ANY LIABILITY RESULTING FROM THE SOLE NEGLIGENCE OR FAULT OF THE CITY, ITS OFFICERS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES AND IN THE EVENT OF JOINT AND CONCURRENT NEGLIGENCE OR FAULT OF SUBRECIPIENT AND CITY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND INDEMNITY, IF ANY, SHALL BE APPORTIONED COMPARATIVELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, WITHOUT WAIVING ANY GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY AVAILABLE TO THE CITY UNDER TEXAS LAW AND WITHOUT WAIVING ANY DEFENSES OF THE PARTIES UNDER TEXAS LAW. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS PARAGRAPH ARE SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PARTIES HERETO AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO CREATE OR GRANT ANY RIGHTS, CONTRACTUAL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY.

Section 5: Application Instructions

General The deadline for the submission of Applications is the close of business (5:00 pm CST) on March 5,2026 via Bonfire (Application Deadline).

This NOFA is being posted for review and consideration on the webpage of the HCE. The HCE will accept complete Application packets (see list of required inclusions below) beginning on February 20, 2026 5:00 pm. For all Applications received, in their entirety, by the Application Deadline, the City’s review will begin on March 16, 2026. Subject to Section 4, late or substantially incomplete Applications shall be rejected and shall not be considered for selection.

The City may pause acceptance of Applications once a significant number are received in anticipation of full funds obligation upon the obligation of all available funding.

The City anticipates awarding a total of $300,000 in grants to selected Subrecipients. Each applicant should ensure that, in addition to its performance and fiscal obligations, it is reasonably able to fully expend the awarded grant funding according to agreement terms.

Approximate Timeline February 20, 2026, 5:00 pm – Notice of Funding Availability issued.

March 3, 2026, 2:00 pm - Pre-Proposal Meeting March 13, 2026 – Applications due to the City of Dallas by COB (5:00 pm CST). Copies will be made of complete Applications, and these will be distributed to the internal review committee.

March 16, 2026 – Evaluation Committee meets to assess and rank Applications. Successful Applicants will be notified.

April 2026 – Council authorization by resolution of grant awards equal to or exceeding $300,000 and Subrecipient agreement between the Subrecipient and the City of Dallas, followed by authorization by Administrative Action(s) of grant awards below $300,000.

April 1, 2026 (or date of contract execution) – Performance period begins.

March 31, 2027 (or one-year from contract execution) – Performance period ends.

April 30, 2027 – Grant closeout period ends.

Documents Required for Submission To submit a request for grant funding through this NOFA, every Applicant must submit all required documents through the City’s Bonfire Portal:

· Application Form (Attachment A)

· Budget Form (Attachment B)

· Organization Information (Attachment C)

· Board form (Attachment D)

· Suspension Debarment Form

· SAM Nonprofit Certification Form

· Organization Chart (submitted as an attachment and in the application form)

· For Entire Agency

· For Program Team/Division

· Federal Tax-Exempt Status Letter

· Articles of Incorporation

· Audited Financial Statements

· Single or Program-Specific Audit (if applicable)

· IRS Form 990

· Board of Directors / Board Composition Form

· Board Minutes (3 past meetings)

· Reports, Evaluation Tools or other documents at their discretion

PURPOSE: Demonstrates that the Subrecipient has capacity to successfully implement the project and that there is sufficient separation of duties to implement procurement accounting controls (e.g., the same person does not create and approve a purchase order).

PURPOSE: Verifies the official existence of the organization and allows the City to determine if the length of existence of the organization is sufficient to meet City requirements.

PURPOSE: Allows the City to determine the financial capacity of the Subrecipient’s to receive City funds

PURPOSE: Allows the City to determine the Subrecipient’s compliance funder requirements

(Required upon award) Refers to a screenshot from www.sam.gov showing: (1) the Applicant organization’s registration is currently ‘Active’ and (2) the expiration date of the ‘Active’ status.

PURPOSE: Allows the City to determine that the Applicant organization meets the federal requirement that all organizations recipient of federal funds be registered with www.sam.gov.

(Required upon award) Refers to a screenshot from the Texas Secretary of…