• Granting Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families – OCS
• Appropriation Amount: $13,600,000
• Grant Amount: Award Ceiling $800,000, Award Floor $100,000, no match
• Announcement Date: May 25, 2021
• Closing Date: July 12, 2021

Community and Economic Development Projects NOFO

Purpose: 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:
1) Be ready to implement at the time of award;
2) Lead to increased self-sufficiency for individuals and families with low incomes;
3) 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
4) Attract additional public and private funds to increase investment and quality of life in low-income communities.

Eligible Expenditures:
Well-planned, financially viable, and innovative projects to enhance job creation and business development for individuals with low-income. CED grants 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-income to fill the positions created by CED- funded development activities, to assist those individuals to successfully hold those jobs and to ensure that the businesses and jobs created remain viable for at least one year after the end of the grant period. CED-funded projects can be non-construction or construction projects, however, short-term construction jobs associated with preparing for business startup or expansion are not counted when determining the number of jobs created under the CED program as they are designed to be temporary in nature. OCS is encouraging applications from CDCs to target rural areas and underserved areas in states without current projects.

Eligible Applicants: To be eligible for CED Program, an applicant must meet the following three conditions:
1) Applicant must be a private, non-profit CDC with 501(c)(3) status;
2) 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
3) The Board of Directors must have representation from each of the following: community residents, business leaders, and civic leaders.