Foa_Content_of_FR-6600-N-29D.pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Policy Development and Research

HUDRD - Qualitative Data Collection for Cohort 2 MTW Expansion- Rent Reform Experiment

FR-6600-N-29D

07/07/2022

Table of Contents Summary

Overview

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Description

B. Authority

II. Award Information

A. Available Funds

B. Number of Awards

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information

D. Period of Performance

E. Type of Funding Instrument

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Ineligible Applicants

C. Cost Sharing or Matching

D. Threshold Eligibility Requirements

E. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility

F. Program-Specific Requirements

G. Criteria for Beneficiaries

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Obtaining an Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

C. System for Award Management (SAM) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number

D. Application Submission Dates and Times

E. Intergovernmental Review

F. Funding Restrictions

G. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

A. Review Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

B. Administrative, National and Department Policy Requirements and Terms for HUD Recipients Financial Assistance Awards

C. Reporting

D. Debriefing

VII. Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

APPENDIX

Program Office:

Policy Development and Research Funding Opportunity Title:

HUDRD - Qualitative Data Collection for Cohort 2 MTW Expansion- Rent Reform Experiment Funding Opportunity Number:

FR-6600-N-29D

Assistance Listing Number:

14.536 Due Date for Applications:

07/07/2022 Summary The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Strategic Plan sets the direction and focus of our programs and staff to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all.

HUD's Strategic Goals HUD’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan lays out this administration’s strategy for ensuring everyone has an affordable, healthy place to live. Over the course of the next four years HUD will pursue two overarching priorities focused on increasing equity and improving customer experience across all HUD programs. Five strategic goals undergird the Plan as follows:

Strategic Goal 1: Support Underserved Communities Strategic Goal 2: Ensure Access to and Increase the Production of Affordable Housing Strategic Goal 3: Promote Homeownership Strategic Goal 4: Advance Sustainable Communities Strategic Goal 5: Strengthen HUD’s Internal Capacity

The five goals of the FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan present the core vision of what we hope to accomplish, the strategies to accomplish those objectives, and the indicators of success.

Overview The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to invite applications from eligible applicants for the program and purpose described within this NOFO. Prospective applicants should carefully read all instructions in all sections to avoid sending an incomplete or ineligible application. HUD funding is highly competitive. Failure to respond accurately to any submission requirement could result in an incomplete or noncompetitive proposal.

During the selection process HUD is prohibited from disclosing 1) information regarding any applicant’s relative standing, 2) the amount of assistance requested by an applicant, and 3) any information contained in the application. Prior to the application deadline, HUD may not disclose the identity of any applicant or the number of applicants that have applied for assistance.

For Further Information Regarding this NOFO: Please direct questions regarding the specific requirements of this NOFO to the office contact identified in Section VII.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. The information collection requirements in this notice have been approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501- 3520). In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid OMB control number. Each NOFO will identify its applicable OMB control number unless its collection of information is excluded from these requirements under 5 CFR part 1320.

OMB Approval Number(s):

2528-0299

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION.

A. Program Description.

Purpose

This NOFO announces the availability of $1,000,000 for qualitative research that will document how low-income renters understand and respond to the new rent policies being tested in the Moving to Work (MTW) Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration (STRD). The research funded under this NOFO will contribute to general knowledge of low-income households’ experiences with alternative rent policies that are intended to promote self-sufficiency. The research proposal must describe how such knowledge will contribute to housing assistance policy that is designed to promote greater self-sufficiency for assisted households, whether such policy is developed by HUD, housing authorities, or other entities.

Overview In the Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration (STRD), ten public housing agencies (PHAs) will test new rent policies known as stepped rents and tiered rents. Under the standard rent policy, HUD-assisted households pay 30% of their monthly adjusted income towards rent. Under a stepped rent policy, a household’s rent will increase modestly each year, independent of their income. Under a tiered rent policy, households are assigned to income-based tiers, and all households within a specific tier pay the same amount towards rent.

Five STRD PHAs will implement a stepped rent, and five will implement a tiered rent. They will do so in a randomized controlled trial, to permit rigorous evaluation of the impact of the new rent policies. HUD has plans, already underway, to conduct a long-term impact evaluation. But additional research, using qualitative methods, is needed to better understand the alternative rent policies from the perspective of participating households.

Background Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program that gives PHAs flexibility to test innovative strategies to use Federal assistance for the public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs more efficiently, help residents pursue self-sufficiency, and increase housing choices for low-income families. MTW agencies can get waivers from certain HUD rules, including those governing how rents are set in HUD programs.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 authorized HUD to award MTW authority to 100 additional housing agencies and required that this expansion involve rigorous research on the effects of the new policies implemented by those PHAs. HUD is implementing the MTW https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-1320?toc=1 expansion by awarding MTW authority in cohorts, with each cohort testing a specific policy. The second cohort of the MTW expansion—the STRD—is testing alternative rent policies known as stepped rents and tiered rents.

There are two main reasons for exploring alternative rent policies: 1) providing incentives for assisted households to increase their earnings, and 2) simplifying the administration of housing assistance programs. The standard income-based rent policy sets a household’s total tenant payment (TTP) at 30 percent of their adjusted income. When a household’s income increases, 30 percent of the additional income continues to go towards TTP, which means a TTP increase to the household. (Conversely, if a household’s income decreases, the household’s TTP decreases.)

These rent changes might be a disincentive that makes assisted households less likely to increase their income. Alternative rent policies may be able to remove or mitigate this disincentive while still preserving protections for assisted households that experience a loss of income. Regarding simplification, the standard income-based rent policy is complex and challenging to administer.

It requires regular (typically annual) income examinations in which PHAs must document and verify all income for the assisted household, consider a long list of income exclusions and deductions, and calculate the corresponding TTP. Through STRD, HUD seeks to test whether these alternative rent policies change a household’s incentive to increase earned income or reduce the administrative burden of assisted housing for both PHA staff and assisted households.

In the STRD, 10 PHAs will establish and implement alternative rent policies. Five PHAs will implement a stepped rent, under which a household’s TTP will increase modestly each year independent of their income. Five PHAs will implement a tiered rent, under which households are assigned to income-based tiers and their TTP is set based on the tier. Under both policies, households could increase their income without causing an immediate TTP increase. Both policies include hardship provisions to prevent high rent burdens, and both policies include less frequent income reexaminations, to reduce the amount of PHA staff time required to administer the program. Table 1 lists the 10 PHAs participating in the STRD and the rent policy being tested in each.

The STRD impact evaluation will examine the effects of the new rent policies using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eligible households—non-elderly, non-disabled households in the public housing and housing choice voucher (HCV) programs—at each of the participating PHAs will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group (paying under the new rent rules) or the control group (paying under the standard rent rules). Eligible households will include those already receiving assistance (people who should be familiar with the standard income-based rent policy), and new households admitted off the waiting list (people who may be less familiar with the traditional income-based rent policy). All eligible households will be asked to provide informed consent and to complete a baseline survey. If a household does not provide consent, they will still be randomly assigned but will not be part of HUD’s evaluation.

Table 1. PHAs Participating in the MTW STRD PHA Location Rent Policy Being

Tested Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority Akron, Ohio Tiered Rent

Housing Authority of Washington County Hillsborough, Oregon

Tiered Rent

Everett Housing Authority Everett, Washington

Tiered Rent

Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority Charleston, West Virginia

Tiered Rent

Houston Housing Authority Houston, Texas Tiered Rent Housing Authority of the County of Kern Bakersfield, California Stepped Rent

Fort Wayne Housing Authority Fort Wayne, Indiana

Stepped Rent

Asheville Housing Authority Asheville, North Carolina

Stepped Rent

Housing Connect (Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake)

Salt Lake City, Utah

Stepped Rent

Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority

Portsmouth, Virginia

Stepped Rent

HUD has contracted with MDRC, an independent research firm, to implement the first phase of the STRD and lay the foundation for a long-term impact evaluation. The STRD impact evaluation will focus mostly on two confirmatory outcome measures: 1) whether households in the treatment group have higher cumulative earnings than households in the control group, and

2) whether total housing subsidy varies for treatment and control group households. The STRD impact evaluation will also explore other outcomes, such as tenant hardships, PHA costs, and variation in impact across different subgroups.

The STRD impact evaluation will focus on quantitative outcome measures. The evaluation will include some qualitative data collection and analysis, but these qualitative inquiries will focus on the experiences of the PHA staff implementing the new rent policies. The STRD impact evaluation will also include brief surveys of the households participating in the demonstration to capture some descriptive data on the participating households, but the evaluation does not include additional qualitative data collection such as in-depth interviews, direct observation, or focus groups with households participating in the demonstration.

Form HUD-50058 MTW Expansion collects administrative data on all households and individuals participating in the public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs at the PHAs participating in the STRD evaluation. Successful applicants to this solicitation will receive access to HUD administrative data through a Data Use Agreement (DUA), should such data access be required.

As of March 2022, the PHAs in the STRD are preparing to implement the new rent policies. It is expected that enrollment in the STRD will begin around August 2022, and the new rent policies will take effect around December 2022.

https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/DOC_10236.PDF

The purpose of this NOFO is to complement HUD’s STRD impact evaluation by supporting research related to the implementation of the new stepped and tiered rent policies, with a particular emphasis on how the rent policies are experienced by assisted households participating in the demonstration.

Research Objectives With this NOFO, HUD seeks to learn more about how low-income renters in the STRD experience the new rent policies. Research questions of interest include, but are not limited to, the following types of questions:

1. How do households perceive the traditional income-based rent policy? Do they understand that an increase in income causes an increase in TTP (under the traditional rent policy)? Are they aware that certain childcare expenses can be deducted from their income? Does the traditional income-based rent policy influence individual and household decisions around employment, such as their willingness to work, work more hours, or seek higher-paying work?

2. Do households understand the alternative (stepped or tiered) rent policy?

a. How well do households understand the incentives presented by the alternative

(stepped or tiered) rent policy? Are they aware that the alternative rent policy allows them to increase their income for a period of time without causing their rent to increase?

b. For those under the stepped rent policy, are they aware that rent increases each year regardless of their income?

c. How well do households understand the hardship provisions that are intended to protect them from hardships under the alternative rent policy?

3. Do households like the alternative rent policy? Do they think the new policy is fair?

a. What specific features of the policy do they like?

b. What specific features of the policy to they dislike?

4. How is the new rent policy affecting the lives of participating households?

a. Are household members working more and/or earning more? Do different household members (e.g. head of household vs. other adults in the household) respond differently?

b. Has the new rent policy changed their budgeting and spending decisions in major ways (e.g. spending on health care, education, medicine, food, childcare, etc.)?

c. Are households experiencing hardships, such as difficulty paying the new rent or other essential household costs? Do any such hardships stem directly from the new rent policy or are they caused by other challenges?

5. What other factors and household characteristics relate to the households’ experience of the new rent policy? For example:

a. Do families with children experience the new rent policy differently from households without children?

b. Do households respond differently to the new rent policy depending on the extent of their labor market engagement (e.g. households who work consistently vs.

those who do not)?

c. Do households respond differently to the new rent policy depending on their physical and mental health/well-being?

d. How does the experience of the new rent policy vary for participants in the public housing and housing choice voucher programs? Are there aspects of the new rent policy that are particularly beneficial or particularly challenging for one program but not the other?

e. How does the experience of the new rent policy vary for new admissions (households coming off the waiting list) and households already receiving housing assistance at the time of enrollment?

HUD does not expect each research grant to address all of the research questions in the preceding list. Furthermore, this list is not exhaustive; there may be other important questions to explore.

Applicants may propose their own research questions to meet the NOFO objectives.

Additional Research Considerations HUD intends to fund proposals that use rigorous qualitative methods to discover how HUD-assisted households at PHAs participating in the STRD experience the stepped and tiered rents.

The proposed research to be funded under this NOFO is expected to complement the independent impact evaluation already being supported by HUD. Applicants must provide evidence that their approach is unquestionably rigorous, and the research team is experienced in this form of data collection and analysis. HUD also expects this research to emphasize depth over breadth. HUD envisions funding projects that include researchers located in close proximity to study sites to facilitate fieldwork that may include ethnographic observation, informal interactions, and more structured data collection.

It is expected that enrollment in the STRD impact evaluation will begin around August 2022 and continue for one year. Households will be enrolled on a rolling basis throughout the year. During the impact evaluation enrollment process, all households will be asked to provide consent to participate in HUD’s evaluation efforts. A household may not opt out of the new rent policy, but they may opt out of participating in the evaluation. After a household is assigned to a tiered or stepped rent policy, the tiered or stepped rent will take effect 90-120 days later, so the earliest that any household will pay a tiered or stepped rent is November or December 2022. The impact evaluation enrollment process will be led by MDRC (the impact evaluation contractor) and the PHAs. Researchers funded under this NOFO will not contact any HUD-assisted household before that household completes the enrollment process with the PHA/MDRC. Researchers funded under this NOFO can expect to receive information from HUD/MDRC or a participating PHA to help identify and recruit participants for qualitative research.

HUD expects this research to involve direct in-person interaction with HUD-assisted households, however, if public health measures because of the COVID-19 pandemic require it, remote data collection, such as by phone or videoconference, may be permitted. Applicants should explain how they plan to conduct on-site and in-person fieldwork despite the pandemic and how they plan to overcome constraints imposed by public health measures and still develop an in-depth understanding of how HUD-assisted households experience the STRD.

Applicants may propose to focus their research efforts in a single community with program participants at a single PHA, in a select set of communities with program participants of multiple PHAs, or with all ten communities and with program participants of all participating PHAs.

HUD encourages applicants to include in their research ways of engaging HUD-assisted households that go beyond the usual roles of research subjects as respondents and key informants. See, for example, “Resident experts: The potential of critical Participatory Action Research to inform public housing research and practice.”[1] HUD’s policy statement on program evaluation published August 13, 2021, encourages efforts to engage studied populations. The policy statement also encourages disseminating research findings to HUD-assisted households, especially those who participate in the research. HUD’s program evaluation policy statement is available here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/13/2021-17339/hud-program-evaluation-policy-policy-statement.

HUD will not prescribe specific information collection approaches, protocols, or instruments.

Any information collection efforts conducted by a grantee to address the NOFO objectives will not be subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Research funded under this NOFO will take place while HUD’s impact evaluation is ongoing.

The impact evaluation will use rigorous, experimental methods to determine the impacts of the STRD on various outcomes of interest. Research grantees under this NOFO will need to avoid unintentionally influencing the internal or external validity of the impact evaluation. In their narrative response to the rating factors, applicants should explain how they will minimize the influence of their qualitative research on the impact evaluation. More information about HUD’s impact evaluation of the STRD can be found here: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/mtw/expansion.html. More information about the overall expansion of the MTW program can be found here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/mtw/expansion.

Eligible Activities Eligible activities include all research, regulatory, and project management activities that contribute to meeting the NOFO objectives and research needs at a high-quality level, and specifically to complete the funded research. Eligible activities include, but are not necessarily limited to the following:

All research activities required to complete the funded research, from the articulation of research questions (including literature reviewing) through the development of research design, data collection and analysis plans, to the analysis of data, and finally including the writing of publication-quality research reports and formal presentations and briefings on findings

Regular communication with HUD staff on all project deliverables, as required by HUD’s substantial involvement under the cooperative agreement

Consulting with experts on any aspect of the research as needed to bring expertise to enhance the research team’s knowledge in critical areas

Meeting regulatory requirements for research such as the engagement of an Institutional Review Board to review and approve data collection instruments and Informed Consent materials for study participants https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/13/2021-17339/hud-program-evaluation-policy-policy-statement https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/13/2021-17339/hud-program-evaluation-policy-policy-statement https://www.huduser.gov/portal/mtw/expansion.html https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/mtw/expansion

Project management activities, including required project management tools (Opening Meeting, Management and Work Plan and Budget, Quality Control Plan, and Quarterly Progress Reports) and regular communication with HUD staff for monitoring purposes

Travel to study locations where the STRD is being implemented Incentive payments to study respondents as a token of appreciation for their time.

Dissemination of research findings to study participants

Deliverables HUD’s Cooperative Agreements require certain deliverables as part of the project management system, including the following: (1) Opening meeting with HUD, (2) a Management and Work Plan providing a detailed outline of specific tasks, a project timeline, staffing and management responsibilities, and the allocation of resources, (3) a Quality Control Plan that documents all necessary measures taken by the Grantee to assure that the quality of an end product of service shall meet the requirements outlined in the Cooperative Agreement, and (4) Quarterly Progress Reports. Please note that the Management and Work Plan is the document that will govern HUD’s monitoring of the project activities.

Project deliverables will include the following documents, each of which must be approved by the Government Technical Representative assigned to the project: (1) a Research Design that shall serve as a technical blueprint for all research activities that will be undertaken to address the research objectives, (2) a Data Collection and Analysis Plan that includes data collection instruments and/or protocols, informed consent materials, and an analysis plan for any data collected, (3) a draft and final report that documents the data collection efforts and the results of the data analyses, and (4) two final briefings on the study findings: one for HUD staff, and one for the relevant STRD PHAs to share the findings of the study, and (5) discussion with HUD-assisted households about the research findings.

The Governmental Technical Representative and other HUD staff will work closely with grantees to define deliverables.

Final work products shall be well-written, and the final research report must be of publishable quality and shall conform to HUD’s formatting requirements. HUD intends to publish the final research report on our website at www.huduser.gov.

[1] Thurber, Amie, Leslie Collins, and Marilyn Greer. 2018. The potential of critical Participatory Action Research to inform public housing research and practice. Action Research

0(0): 1-19. DOI: 10.1177/1476750317725799.

Changes from Previous NOFO.

This is a new NOFO.

Definitions.

a. Standard Definitions

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) means taking meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to http://www.huduser opportunity based on protected characteristics. Specifically, affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions that, taken together, address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunities, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws. The duty to affirmatively further fair housing extends to all program participant’s activities and programs relating to housing and urban development.

Assistance Listing number refers to the publicly available listing of Federal assistance programs managed and administered by the General Services Administration, formerly known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). Assistance Listing is a unique number assigned to identify a Federal Assistance Listings, formerly known as the CFDA

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) is the person authorized to submit applications on behalf of the organization via Grants.gov. The AOR is authorized by the E-Biz point of contact in the System for Award Management. The AOR is listed in item 21 on the SF- 424.

Consolidated Plan is a document developed by states and local jurisdictions. This plan is completed by engaging in a participatory process to assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions with funding from formula grant programs. (See 24 CFR part 91 for HUD’s requirements regarding the Consolidated Plan and related Action Plan).

Contract means, for the purpose of Federal financial assistance, a legal instrument by which a recipient or subrecipient purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a federal award. For additional information on contractor and subrecipient determinations, see 2 CFR 200.331.

Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above and in 2 CFR 200.1.

Deficiency is information missing or omitted within a submitted application. Examples of deficiencies include missing documents, information on a form, or some other type of unsatisfied information requirement. Depending on specific criteria, deficiencies may be either Curable or Non-Curable.

Curable Deficiencies may be corrected by the applicant with timely action. To be curable the deficiency must:

Not be a threshold requirement, except for documentation of applicant eligibility;

Not influence how an applicant is ranked or scored versus other applicants; and Be remedied within the time frame specified in the notice of deficiency.

Non-Curable Deficiencies cannot be corrected by an applicant after the submission deadline.

Non-curable deficiencies are deficiencies that, if corrected, would change an applicant’s score or rank versus other applicants. Non-curable deficiencies may result in an application being marked ineligible, or otherwise adversely affect an application’s score and final determination.

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-91 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR031321e29ac5bbd/section-200.331 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no population bears a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or from the execution of federal, state, and local laws; regulations; and policies. Meaningful involvement requires effective access to decision makers for all, and the ability in all communities to make informed decisions and take positive actions to produce environmental justice for themselves.

DUNS Number is the nine-digit Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Number System identification number assigned to a business or organization by Dun & Bradstreet and provides a means of identifying business entities on a location-specific basis.

E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) A user registered as an organization applicant who is responsible for the administration and management of grant activities for his or her organization.

The E-Biz POC is likely to be an organization's chief financial officer or authorizing official. The E-Biz POC authorizes representatives of their organization to apply on behalf of the organization (see Standard AOR and Expanded AOR). There can only be one E-Biz POC per DUNS Number.

Eligibility requirements are mandatory requirements for an application to be eligible for funding.

Expanded Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) An AOR is a member of your organization authorized by the EBiz POC to submit applications in Grants.gov on behalf of the organization. An applicant user with the Expanded AOR role is authorized to submit any applications on behalf of the organization and has privileges that allow the user to modify organization-level settings in Grants.gov.

Federal Financial Assistance means assistance that entities received or administer in the form of:

1. Grants;

2. Cooperative agreements (which does not include a cooperative research and development agreement pursuant to the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, as amended (15 U.S.C. 3710a)).

3. Loans;

4. Loan guarantees;

5. Subsidies;

6. Insurance;

7. Food commodities;

8. Direct appropriations;

9. Assessed and voluntary contributions; and

10. Any other financial assistance transaction that authorizes the non-Federal entity's expenditure of Federal funds.

11. Federal financial assistance does not include amounts received as reimbursement for services rendered to individuals as described in section 200.502(h) and (i). (2 CFR 200.1)

Federal award, has the meaning, depending on the context, in either paragraph (i) or (ii) of this definition:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-F/subject-group-ECFRfd0932e473d10ba/section-200.502

1. (i) The Federal financial assistance that a recipient receives directly from a Federal awarding agency or a subrecipient receives indirectly from a pass-through entity, as described in 2 CFR §200.101; or

ii. The cost-reimbursement contract under the Federal Acquisition Regulations that a non- Federal entity receives directly from a federal awarding agency or indirectly from a pass- through entity, as described in 2 CFR §200.101.

2. The instrument setting forth the terms and conditions. The instrument is the grant agreement, cooperative agreement, other agreement for assistance covered in paragraph (2) of the definitions of Federal financial assistance in 2 CFR §200.1, and this NOFO, or the cost-reimbursement contract awarded under the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

3. Federal award does not include other contracts that a Federal agency uses to buy goods or services from a contractor or a contract to operate Federal Government owned, contractor operated facilities (GOCOs).

4. See also definitions of Federal financial assistance, grant agreement, and cooperative agreement in 2 CFR 200.1.

Grants.gov is the website serving as the Federal government’s central portal for searching and applying for Federal financial assistance throughout the Federal government. Registration on Grants.gov is required for submission of applications to prospective agencies unless otherwise specified in this NOFO.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary of Education to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents.

Non-Federal Entity (NFE) means a state, local government, Indian tribe, Institution of Higher Education (IHE), or non-profit organization that carries out a federal award as a recipient or subrecipient.

Point of Contact (POC) is the person who may be contacted with questions about the application submitted by the AOR. The POC is listed in item 8F on the SF-424.

Recipient means an entity, usually but not limited to non-Federal entities, that receives a federal award directly from HUD. The term recipient does not include subrecipients or individuals that are beneficiaries of the award.

Small business is defined as a privately-owned corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship that has fewer employees and less annual revenue than a corporation or regular-sized business.

The definition of “small”—in terms of being able to apply for government support and qualify for preferential tax policy—varies by country and industry. The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a small business according to a set of standards based on specific industries. See 13 CFR Part 121.

http://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/chapter-I/part-121?toc=1

Standard Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) An AOR is a member of your organization authorized by the EBiz POC to submit applications in Grants.gov on behalf of the organization. An applicant user with the Standard AOR role can only submit applications when they are a Participant of that workspace.

Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.

Subrecipient means an entity, usually but not limited to non-Federal entities, that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a federal award but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such award. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other federal awards directly from a federal awarding agency.

System for Award Management (SAM) is the Federal Repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient. Registration with SAM is required for submission of applications via Grants.gov. You can access the website at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. There is no cost to use SAM.

Threshold Requirements are an eligibility requirement that must be met for an application to be reviewed. Threshold requirements are not curable, except for documentation of applicant eligibility and are listed in Section III.D Threshold Eligibility Requirements. Similarly, there are eligibility requirements under Section III.E, Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) means the identifier assigned by SAM to uniquely identify business entities.

Program Definitions.

None

B. Authority.

The program is authorized by Sections 501 and 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (12 U.S.C. §1701z-1 and §1701z-2) and funding is provided by recaptured funds carried forward from FY 2021, as authorized by Section 232 of Division K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31, approved May 5, 2017) and Section 229 of Division L of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141, approved March 23, 2018).

II. Award Information.

A. Available Funds Funding of approximately $1,000,000 is available through this NOFO.

B. Number of Awards.

HUD expects to make approximately 3 awards from the funds available under this NOFO.

https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information Estimated Total Funding:

$1,000,000 Minimum Award Amount:

$200,000 Per Project Period

Maximum Award Amount:

$1,000,000 Per Project Period

D. Period of Performance Estimated Project Start Date:

10/01/2022 Estimated Project End Date:

10/01/2025 Length of Project Periods:

36-month project period and budget period

Length of Periods Explanation of Other:

E. Type of Funding Instrument.

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) III. Eligibility Information.

A. Eligible Applicants.

00 (State governments)

01 (County governments)

02 (City or township governments)

04 (Special district governments)

05 (Independent school districts)

06 (Public and State controlled institutions of higher education)

07 (Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized))

11 (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments))

12 (Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education)

13 (Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education)

20 (Private institutions of higher education)

22 (For profit organizations other than small businesses)

23 (Small businesses)

Additional Information on Eligibility B. Ineligible Applicants.

Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement. HUD will not evaluate applications from ineligible applicants.

C. Cost Sharing or Matching.

This Program does not require cost sharing or matching.

D. Threshold Eligibility Requirements.

Applicants who fail to meet any of the following threshold eligibility requirements will be deemed ineligible. Applications from ineligible applicants will not be evaluated.

1. Resolution of Civil Rights Matters. Outstanding civil rights matters must be resolved before the application deadline. Applicants, who after review are confirmed to have civil rights matters unresolved at the application deadline, will be deemed ineligible. Their applications will receive no further review, will not be rated and ranked, and they will not receive funding.

a. Applicants having any of the charges, cause determinations, lawsuits, or letters of findings referenced in subparagraphs (1) – (5) that have not been resolved to HUD’s satisfaction before or on the application deadline date are ineligible for funding. Such matters include:

1. Charges from HUD concerning a systemic violation of the Fair Housing Act or receipt of a cause determination from a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic violation of a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing law proscribing discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status;

2. Status as a defendant in a Fair Housing Act lawsuit filed by the United States alleging a pattern or practice of discrimination or denial of rights to a group of persons raising an issue of general public importance under 42 U.S.C. 3614(a);

3. Status as a defendant in any other lawsuit filed or joined by the Department of Justice, or in which the Department of Justice has intervened, or filed an amicus brief or statement of interest, alleging a pattern or practice or systemic violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, the Americans with Disabilities Act or a claim under the False Claims Act related to fair housing, non-discrimination, or civil rights generally including an alleged failure to affirmatively further fair housing;

4. Receipt of a letter of findings identifying systemic non-compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; or the Americans with Disabilities Act; or

5. Receipt of a cause determination from a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic violation of provisions of a state or local law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or lawful source of income.

b. HUD will determine if actions to resolve the charge, cause determination, lawsuit, or letter of findings taken before the application deadline date will resolve the matter.

Examples of actions that may be sufficient to resolve the matter include, but are not limited to:

1. Current compliance with a voluntary compliance agreement signed by all the parties;

2. Current compliance with a HUD-approved conciliation agreement signed by all the parties;

3. Current compliance with a conciliation agreement signed by all the parties and approved by the state governmental or local administrative agency with jurisdiction over the matter;

4. Current compliance with a consent order or consent decree;

5. Current compliance with a final judicial ruling or administrative ruling or decision; or

6. Dismissal of charges.

2. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. With some exceptions for federally recognized Indian tribes and their instrumentalities, the application must discuss how the applicant will carry out the proposed activities in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing in compliance with the Fair Housing Act and its implementing regulations. Applicants may propose activities that are consistent with their jurisdiction’s Analysis of Impediments (AI), an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), or other means of fair housing planning that meaningfully supports their AFFH certification.

If the applicant will carry out proposed activities in a jurisdiction with an accepted Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), the proposed activities should be consistent with the AFH's fair housing goals and with fair housing strategies specified in the jurisdiction’s Consolidated Plan or Public Housing Agency Plan.”

3. Timely Submission of Applications. Applications submitted after the deadline stated within this NOFO that do not meet the requirements of the grace period policy will be marked late. Late applications are ineligible and will not be considered for funding. See Section IV. D. Application Submission Dates and Times.

3. Completeness of Application. Applications must be complete, including all required forms, assurances, certifications, narratives, and non-form attachments. Incomplete applications are ineligible and will not be considered for funding. See Section IV.B. Content and Form of Application Submission.

E. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants of HUD’s Grants Programs The following requirements affect applicant eligibility. Detailed information on each requirement is posted on HUD’s Funding Opportunities Page.

Active Prime and Sub Recipient registration with SAM.gov Outstanding Delinquent Federal Debts Debarments or Suspensions, or both Pre-selection Review of Performance https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/fundingopps

Sufficiency of Financial Management System False Statements Mandatory Disclosure Requirement Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities In addition, each applicant under this NOFO must have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the Award Term in Appendix A of 24 CFR part 170 if the applicant receives an award, unless an exception applies as provided in 2 CFR 170.110.

F. Program-Specific Requirements.

None

G. Criteria for Beneficiaries.

None

IV. Application and Submission Information.

A. Obtaining an Application Package.

Instructions for Applicants.

You must download both the Application Instructions and the Application Package from Grants.gov. You must verify that the Assistance Listing Number and Assistance Listing Description on the first page of the Application Package, and the Funding Opportunity Title and the Funding Opportunity Number match the Program and NOFO to which you are applying.

The Application Package contains the portable document forms (PDFs) available on Grants.gov, such as the SF-424 Family. The Instruction Download contains official copies of the NOFO and forms necessary for a complete application. The Instruction Download may include Microsoft Word files, Microsoft Excel files, and additional documents.

An applicant demonstrating good cause may request a waiver from the requirement for electronic submission, for example, a lack of available Internet access in the geographic area in which your business offices are located. Lack of SAM registration or valid DUNS/UEI is not good cause. If you cannot submit your application electronically, you must ask in writing for a waiver of the electronic grant submission requirements. HUD will not grant a waiver if the Applicant fails to submit to HUD in writing or via email a request for a waiver at least 15 calendar days before the application deadline. If HUD grants a waiver, a paper application must be received before the deadline for this NOFO. To request a waiver, you must contact:

Name:

Kinnard Wright Email:

Kinnard.d.wright@hud.gov HUD Organization:

PD&R

Street:

451 7th Street, SW City:

Washington https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-25/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-170 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-170/subpart-A/section-170.110 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-170/subpart-A/section-170.110

State:

DC DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Zip:

20410 B. Content and Form of Application Submission.

You must verify that boxes 11, 12, and 13 on the SF-424 match the NOFO for which you are applying. If they do not match, you have downloaded the wrong Application Instruction and Application Package.

Submission of an application that is otherwise sufficient, under the wrong Assistance Listing and Funding Opportunity Number is Non-Curable unless otherwise stated under the Threshold requirements section.

1. Content.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

HUD Applicant Recipient Disclosure Report (HUD) 2880 Applicant/Recipient Disclosure/Update Report

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Application for Federal Assistance

(SF424)

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SFLLL), if applicable

HUD will provide instructions to grantees on how the form is to be submitted.

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the applicant shall complete and submit the SF-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description instructions. Applicants must furnish an executed copy of the Certification Regarding Lobbying prior to award.

Additionally, your complete application must include the following narratives and non-form attachments.

Abstract - One-page application summary as described in 2. Format and Form below.

Narrative statement addressing ratings factors.

Appendix containing up to 5 resumes of key personnel.

Appendix listing names and contact information for each organization included as part of the primary research team for this proposal (i.e., grantee and subgrantees if there are any) and a brief statement of each entity's qualifications

Appendix containing a list of references for the projects listed under past performance, including at least one, but no more than two references for each project, outlining the applicant's performance of recent (within five years) and relevant social science research or program evaluations.

Budget submission (display of all anticipated costs during the performance period, including an indirect cost rate).

Code of Conduct. Applicants selected for funding will be required to provide HUD with their written Code of Conduct if they have not previously done so and it is not recorded on the HUD website at:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/…