Notice of Funding Opportunity:

VHDA AmeriCorps Vista Project Grant

January 2018

Funding Purpose:

The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) has partnered with the Virginia Housing Alliance (VHA) to assist local communities to increase their capacity to prevent and end homelessness. The partnership is designed to support VHA’s AmeriCorps Vista Project which places AmeriCorps volunteers in local continuums of care and planning groups throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Selected host sites are eligible to apply for the 2018-2019 AmeriCorps Vista Project Grant.

The project will provide on-going support from VHA and partners to assist your local Continuum of Care and Planning Groups in meeting the shared goals:

1. Promoting permanent housing focused solutions to end homelessness.
2. Improving data quality and use in decision-making.  
3. Building strategic partnerships that advance efforts to end homelessness.
4. Engage in special initiatives to end veteran and chronic homelessness.
5. Expand the participation in homeless Continuum of Care efforts.

The VHDA AmeriCorps Vista Project grant program supports building the capacity of homelessness Continuum of Care and service providers throughout Virginia’s Commonwealth.   VHDA will provide up to $15,000 for the financial funding match for the VISTA Member and host site.  This funding support will cover the costs of the training, including VISTA travel, lodging, and meals, as well as site monitoring, community assessments, and on-going technical assistance.

Eligibility Criteria:

Eligible applicants are limited to communities that can meet the following criteria:

• The community is approved to participate in the 2018 VHA AmeriCorps Vista Project.
• The regional host site must demonstrate a commitment to ending veterans’ homelessness and chronic homelessness.
• The sponsoring agency must demonstrate the capacity to support the AmeriCorps Program and manage an AmeriCorps Volunteer.
• The applicant must be a  501(c)3 non-profit organizations or public entity including local governments, redevelopment and housing authorities or planning district commissions
• Must operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Host sites must demonstrate a community commitment to supporting the AmeriCorps program.

Program Parameters:

Each regional host site will be required to develop a sustainability plan for the work provided by the AmeriCorps volunteer in the application.

VHDA reserves the right to:

- negotiate modifications to an applicant’s proposal prior to final award,

- request additional information from all grantees,

- review any assessment made by VHA as part of their technical assistance to their grantee communities, and

- conduct discussions with grantees for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to, the reporting requirements.

Application Process:

Affiliates seeking funding should apply to VHDA’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) using VHDA’s Grants Management System at https://vhdagrants.com/.  For questions concerning this program or assistance with application submission, contact Monica Jefferson, Grant Programs Manager at monica.jefferson@vhda.com.

Approval:

The selected grantees will receive a Grant Award Notification (GAN) and a Grant Agreement if approved for funds. The affiliate must return the Grant Agreement to VHDA with signature by an authorized representative.  VHDA will be responsible for all award decisions and all awardees will contract directly with VHDA.  All applicants have the option to submit a request at vhdagrants@vhda.com for a debriefing within thirty (30) days of approval or denial.

Important Dates: