Fair Housing Initiative Program - Education and Outreach Initiative - Test Coordinator Training
The Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) is a significant source of funding for FHIP grantees that conduct fair housing testing in local communities across the country. Fair housing testing refers to the use of testers who, without any bona fide intent to rent, sell or purchase a property, pose as prospective renters, sellers. or buyers of residential real estate for the purpose of determining whether housing providers and others are complying with the Fair Housing Act. The Department continues to be vigilant about ensuring that testing performed with FHIP funds adhere to HUD’s investigatory standards so that it yields credible, objective and admissible evidence to aid in the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. The Department seeks to ensure high quality and standardized fair housing testing performed by FHIP grantees. To support this goal, this Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) NOFO makes available in FY 2022, funding in the amount of $500,000 to support fair housing test coordinator training courses in general/basic fair housing testing as well as advanced/complex fair housing testing. HUD recognizes that fair housing testing efforts may focus on specific areas of testing (lending, insurance, appraisal, etc.), and that test coordinators working on those efforts will need more than the general fair housing testing training to design and coordinate high quality testing. Therefore, in addition to funding test coordinator training for general/basic training, the NOFO will also support specific test coordinator training courses in the areas of mortgage lending, homeowers' insurance, and residential appraisals to help meet the needs and requirements of the FHIP program. In addition, if applicants are ineligible to apply for funding under this NOFO, applicants may be eligible for the FHIP Education and Outreach NOFO, FR-6600-N-21-A.
Changes from Previous NOFO.
A.The FY22 NOFO adds a summary of the Department’s five core goals under the Department’s Strategic Plan for FY22-2026. B. Section I.A. Program Definitions. This NOFO adds a program definition for “Appraisal”. c. Section II.E. This NOFO will award funding under a Cooperative Agreement. D. Section III.A. Eligible Applicants. This NOFO, under Advanced or Complex Tester Coordinator Training activities adds additional activities to include: appraisal valuation/bias, algorithmic bias and discriminatory effects under the Act (e.g., source of Page 5 of 55 income discrimination and, discrimination resulting from criminal records policies) ; and the requirements to provide training on the tools/methods needed to address discriminatory effect discrimination. E. Section III.F. Program Specific Requirements. FHIP reduced the period for which an organization remains ineligible to apply for FHIP funding after receiving a “poor” performance rating on another FHIP grant. The period has been reduced from two years to one year that an organization will remain ineligible after receipt of the “poor” performance rating unless the organization provides evidence that the rating was overturned through an appeal or that another resolution was accepted by the GTR/GTM to improve future performance. F. Section III.G. - Criteria for Beneficiaries. This section removes the former criteria, Dunn and Bradstreet Numbering System. New Department language addresses the replacement of Dunn and Bradstreet Numbering System with the New Government Issued Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. (See NOFO Section IV.C). The change provides notification to applicants of the new means of entity identification which became effective April 2022 and is consistent with U.S. General Services Administration guidance at www.gsa.gov/entityid G. Section IV.B. Content and Form of Application Submission. This section adds new requirements for the submission of the applicant’s Project Abstract to improve consistency in public reporting for FHIP and other Departmental grant awards. H. Section IV.C.2. UEI/DUNS Number Requirement. The Department references the requirement of the New Government Issued Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. The change provides notification to applicants of the new means of entity identification effective April 2022. The change is consistent with U.S. General Services Administration guidance at www.gsa.gov/entityid. I. Section V. Rating Factor Chart. This chart is revised for consistency with the Department’s template update which includes new NOFO Preference points for Environmental Justice. This change increases the total available Preference points from two points to four points and increases the total available NOFO score from 102 to 104. Also, this template change also removes Opportunity Zones as a Preference. J. Section V. Rating Factor 1, sub-factor “Organization Experience”. The criteria under this subfactor have been revised to better clarify required experience. K. Section V. Rating Factor 3, Soundness of Approach. Removes references to Statement of Work (SOW) COVID-19 limitations since “in-person” testing and other enforcement related activities have less COVID restrictions. L. Preference Points. The Department has removed Opportunity Zones as an available preference and added the additional preference points for Environmental Justice. The current preference points include Promise Zones, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and Environmental Justice. The maximum points available under this section has increased from two to four points. HUD may award no more than four total preference points for these preferences.
Program Office: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Funding Opportunity Title: Fair Housing Initiative Program - Education and Outreach Initiative - Test Coordinator Training
Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6600-N-71A
Estimated opening date: September 16th, 2022
Estimated closing date: December 6th, 2022
FAQ-TBD
Agency Contact:
Stephanie W. Thomas Phone: 202-402-6938
Email: Stephanie.W.Thomas@hud.gov
Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the toll[1]free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Please note that HUD staff cannot assist applicants in preparing their applications.