Deadline: 12-Jul-21
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Community and Economic Development (CED) program, administered by the Office of Community Services (OCS) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to address the economic needs of individuals and families with low income, through the creation of employment and business opportunities.
The CED program seeks to fund projects that address the personal and community barriers that must be overcome for individuals with low incomes to become self-sufficient. Funds can be used for costs associated with participating business start-up or expansion activities, as consistent with the cost principles provided that the expenditures result in the creation of positions that can be filled with individuals with low incomes.
The CED program recognizes that non-profit CDCs know their communities and can efficiently and effectively create new community economic development projects in their communities. The objective of the program is to support businesses that develop new products, services, and commercial activities that result in new positions for individuals with low incomes. These positions should:
- Be ready to implement at the time of award;
- Lead to increased self-sufficiency for individuals and families with low incomes;
- Create businesses and jobs in low-income communities that improve the livelihood of not only those who obtain those jobs but also the community itself; and
- Attract additional public and private funds to increase investment and quality of life in low-income communities.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $13,600,000
- Expected Number of Awards: 17
- Award Ceiling: $800,000 Per Project Period
- Award Floor: $100,000 Per Project Period
- Average Projected Award Amount: $750,000 Per Project Period
- Length of Project Period: CED-funded projects can be non-construction or construction projects. Non-construction projects will have one 36-month project and budget period. Projects that involve construction will have one 60-month project and budget period.
Eligible Activities
CED funds may be used for the start-up or expansion activities of participating businesses, as consistent with the cost principles, provided that the expenditures result in the creation of positions that can be filled with individuals with low incomes. This includes:
- Start-up capital for operating expenses, such as salaries, facilities, and equipment that will be replaced by projected earnings;
- Loans to identified, viable, participating businesses, and/or;
- Equity or stock investment in identified viable, participating businesses.
Ineligible Activities
CED grant funds may not be used for the following purposes:
- Projects that include the reimbursement of pre-award costs.
- Projects that provide subawards/pass-throughs.
- Projects that use funding to capitalize loan loss reserve funds.
- Project that use funds for loan(s) with balloon payments.
- Projects that use CED funding to provide loan(s), where repayment of all loans funded with CED funds does not begin during the course of the funded project period.
- Projects that create or expand microenterprise business training and technical assistance centers.
- Projects that focus primarily on job training, job placement, and technical assistance. Limited job training and job placement activities can only be supported in the context of training that is provided specifically for the new positions created. For example, funds can be used to train a cashier for a specific position that has been created but cannot be used to operate a general job training and placement program.
- Projects that do not create new jobs that did not exist prior to the proposed CED project.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the CED program, an applicant must meet the following three conditions:
- Applicant must be a private, non-profit CDC with 501(c)(3) status;
- Applicant must have articles of incorporation or bylaws demonstrating that the CDC has as a principal purpose the planning, developing, or managing of low income housing or community economic development activities; and
- The Board of Directors must have representation from each of the following: community residents, business leaders, and civic leaders.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333377