Community Economic Development Projects
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- HHS-2026-ACF-OCS-EE-0026
- Agency
-
Administration for Children and Families
Department of Health and Human Services
- Applications due
- Award size
- $100,000 to $800,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Income Security and Social Services
- Eligible applicants
-
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Olivia Barfield ocsregistrar@icf.com
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families seeks applicants for Community Economic Development Projects, with applications due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 8, 2026. The Office of Community Services will award approximately $18.57 million in discretionary funds to enhance job creation and business development for individuals with low income.
Eligible applicants are private nonprofit Community Development Corporations (CDCs) with 501(c)(3) status, a principal purpose of planning or managing low-income housing or community development, and board representation from community residents, business leaders, and civic leaders. Applicants must be qualified CDCs as defined in the NOFO.
The program will make 22 awards, with individual awards ranging from $100,000 minimum to $800,000 maximum. Projects span three years (or four years if construction is involved), with a project start date of September 30, 2026. At least 75 percent of newly created full-time positions must be filled by individuals below 200 percent of HHS poverty guidelines. Projects must ensure that businesses and jobs created remain viable for at least one year after the project period.
Eligible activities include startup capital, loans, equity investments in viable businesses, support services, construction, and other business development activities. The program prohibits subawards, pre-award cost reimbursement, and microenterprise training centers as primary activities. Applicants in states with current projects are encouraged to target rural and underserved areas and to integrate projects with other OCS-funded programs addressing poverty, unemployment, and substance-use disorder.
Merit review allocates 115 points across ten criteria, with up to 7 bonus points for workforce development partnerships and projects in underserved communities. The CFDA number is 93.570 under the Community Services Block Grant Discretionary Awards program.
Synopsis
The Office of Community Services (OCS) will award approximately $18.57 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary funds to Community Development Corporations (CDC) to enhance job creation and business development for individuals with low income. Projects should be well-planned, financially viable, and innovative. CED awards will be made as part of a broader strategy to address objectives such as decreasing dependency on federal programs, chronic unemployment, and community deterioration in urban and rural areas. CED projects are expected to actively recruit individuals with low incomes to fill the positions created by CED-funded development activities, to assist those individuals in successfully maintaining employment, and to ensure that the businesses and jobs created remain viable for at least one year after the project period. CED projects can be non-construction or construction projects. In states with current projects, OCS encourages applicants to target rural and underserved areas.Furthermore, OCS encourages potential applicants to explore how proposed projects can be aligned and/or integrated with other OCS-funded programs and priorities to more comprehensively address the needs of rural and urban communities with high rates of poverty, unemployment, and substance-use disorder, as well as communities experiencing persistent poverty, as identified by US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| HHS-2026-ACF-OCS-EE-0026.pdf |
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