Notice of Funding Opportunity:
VHDA AmeriCorps Vista Project Grant – Affordable Housing
April 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 VHA is excited to continue to expand and offer this resource package to affordable housing providers and developers. The project will provide affordable housing agencies in Virginia a VISTA Member who will receive training and ongoing support from VHA and partners to assist your local community and agency in meeting our shared goals:
- Engaging current and new stakeholders in the expansion of affordable housing,
- Developing resources to increase development capacity and organizational sustainability,
- Using data to articulate need and progress and make data-driven decisions (and therefore be more competitive in garnering resources),
- Supporting transitions to best practice models, and
- Engaging in multi-disciplinary initiatives that integrate affordable housing.
The VHDA AmeriCorps Vista Project grant program supports building capacity in order to support the technical assistance and training package for the VISTA Member and host site, the project requires a financial match of $15,000. This match helps cover the costs of the trainings, including VISTA travel, lodging, and meals, as well as site monitoring and on-going technical assistance. The financial match also covers the cost share match VHA pays to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and helps cover the costs to administer the overall project, including reporting and ensuring compliance with this federal program provided through CNCS.
Eligibility Criteria:
Eligible applicants are limited to communities that can meet the following criteria:
Applicant sites must be Virginia Housing Alliance members engaged in work to expand housing opportunity throughout Virginia. Examples of eligible agencies include:
- Community Action Agencies
- Nonprofit housing developers
- Local government housing and community development divisions
- Planning District Commissions
- Housing authorities
- Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs)
- Community Development Corporations
- Community Development Financial Institutions
- Regional housing associations
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 www.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:
NOFO Announcement
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April 30, 2018
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Webinar Training
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May 3, 2018 @ 10:00 EST. Send email to vhdagrants@vhda.com to register.
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Application Due Date & Time
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May 31, 2018, 11:59 PM
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Award Announcements (subject to change)
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June 30, 2018
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