HHS Grant Opportunity for Community Development Corporations

The Administration of Children and Families (ACF) and Office of Community Services (OCS) invites applications for Community Economic Development (CED) projects. CED projects are designed to enhance job creation and business development for low-income individuals. ACF and OCS will award up to $17.9 million in grant funds.

CED projects are expected to:

• Actively recruit low-income individuals to fill the positions created by CED-funded development activities;
• Assist those individuals to successfully hold those jobs; 
• Ensure that the businesses and jobs created remain viable for at least one year after the end of the grant period.

The grant period is three years for non-construction projects and five years for construction projects.

To be eligible for CED project grants, applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Applicant must be a private, non-profit CDC with 501(c)(3) or non-501(c)(3) status; 
• Applicant must have articles of incorporation, bylaws, or other official documents demonstrating that the CDC has as a principal purpose the planning, developing, or managing of low-income housing or community economic development activities; 
• The Board of Directors must have representation from each of the following: community residents, business leaders, and civic leaders.

Applications are especially encouraged for projects that target rural areas and underserved areas, align with the Promise Zones Initiative or Choice Neighborhoods Program, and/or come from states or territories that do not have active CED projects.

Applications are due on July 21, 2014 on grants.gov. For more information, click here.