HLC0000124 Winter 2027 Affordable Housing Competition for Rental Projects

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) is soliciting pre-applications and full applications for the Winter 2027 Affordable Housing Competition for Rental Projects, with pre-applications due September 24, 2026 and full applications due December 3, 2026. This is a funding competition, not a traditional procurement, with anticipated awards in March or April 2027.

Eligible sponsors include non-profits and for-profits; each sponsor may submit no more than two pre-applications and two project applications. Minimum project size is 20 units for projects using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and typically eight units for projects without tax credits. All projects must reserve at least 16% of units for extremely low-income households and comply with sustainable development principles and federal Build America Buy America (BABA) requirements, particularly for HOME and HTF funding sources.

HLC will distribute funding from multiple sources: federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Massachusetts State LIHTC, Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Housing Stabilization Fund, Transit-Oriented Development funds, Housing Innovations Fund, Facilities Consolidation Fund, Community-Based Housing, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and National Housing Trust Fund. Up to $5 million is set aside for rural projects. Approximately 300 project-based vouchers from the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program and up to 25 Alternative Housing Voucher Program vouchers will be available. HLC has established a typical subsidy limit of $100,000 per affordable unit; non-profit sponsors serving persons with disabilities, veterans, or homeless populations may request higher limits.

Pre-application fees are $500 for non-profits and $1,000 for for-profits. Application fees range from $450 to $5,250 depending on funding source and project type. HLC prioritizes projects serving homeless families and individuals and those with geographic distribution. HLC reserves the right to restrict overall funding commitments based on resource availability, as all resources have been significantly oversubscribed in recent competitions. Applications are submitted through HLC's Housing OneStop online system.