FY 2022 Thriving Communities Technical Assistance
HUD’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance program will provide funding to technical assistance providers to help local governments ensure housing needs are considered as part of their larger infrastructure investment plans, while also supporting equitable development and local economic development ecosystems in Disadvantaged Communities, as defined in this NOFO. Through this NOFO, HUD is announcing the availability of $5 million in FY 2022 funding. HUD anticipates no fewer than two and no more than five awards for grantees to provide technical assistance (TA) to units of general local government (UGLGs), as defined in this NOFO, which may also support the UGLGs’ work with non-profit and cross-sector partners serving Disadvantaged Communities. The TC/TA program is designed to ensure coordination and integration of transportation and housing in infrastructure planning and implementation. HUD will establish criteria for eligible beneficiaries and then work with awardees to identify, from the UGLGs that apply for assistance, those that can benefit from HUD’s Thriving Communities TA. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Energy, and other federal agencies are also providing technical assistance under the banner of “Thriving Communities.” HUD’s TC/TA is specifically focused on integrating housing and transportation planning to support disadvantaged communities as UGLGs design and implement infrastructure plans. 1) TA Focus Areas Using a wide range of eligible activities, HUD expects TA awardees under this NOFO to focus on assisting UGLGs in the following four areas: a) Identifying and using vacant, abandoned, or underutilized land located on or near transportation projects that is suitable for housing development (including land owned by federal, state, and local governmental entities as well as the private sector) to create location[1]efficient housing (as defined below). b) Preserving affordable housing and protecting residents and businesses from displacement as new infrastructure is deployed. c) Identifying and implementing regulatory and procedural reforms to reduce unnecessary barriers to location-efficient housing that impede housing production and increase development costs. d) Improving coordination both among public entities (for example, local housing, transportation, planning, and community development departments) and between public entities and state recipients of infrastructure funding; transit authorities and other quasi[1]public entities; the private sector; and locally-based organizations in ways that support a holistic and regional approach to housing and transportation. The TA provided by awardees through this NOFO will respond to the local market conditions and context of the UGLG. The length and offerings of the TA engagement will be designed to ensure a measurable impact on the UGLG’s goals. To that end, HUD is seeking awardees that will take a localized, holistic approach to technical assistance, working across sectors and building local capacity. Coordination, communication, and community involvement are critical components of effective TA under this program. HUD expects the TA providers to have or assemble teams with a diversity in expertise, experiences, and perspectives. HUD also expects the TA providers to have experience partnering with locally-based organizations to satisfy specific TA assignments, while increasing local capacity and supporting equitable engagement and outcomes. Developing sustainable local capacity is an important component of the Thriving Communities TA program. An applicant does not need to have expertise to address all four TA Focus Areas identified above but must clearly identify in the narrative which TA Focus Areas its TA efforts would address. Applicants are not required to have experience as a HUD-funded TA provider, but should have expertise and experience across a range of issues, such as: governance in UGLGs; planning that integrates transportation and housing; economic and community revitalization and development; cross-sector partnerships; project planning, implementation and monitoring; participation in federal, state and local housing and transportation programs; meaningful community engagement, especially with groups that have faced barriers to participation in local planning and resource allocation; new construction and rehabilitation; affordable housing preservation and production; prevention of displacement of residents and businesses; community wealth-building; and tools for identifying, tracking, and developing underutilized land. Important Note: This NOFO is not part of the comprehensive “Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program.” Applicants should thoroughly review this NOFO to ensure that they have the necessary skills to provide the technical assistance described in this NOFO. 2) Eligible Activities Successful applicants may be tasked to deliver TA using any of the eligible activities described in (a) through (f) below. These activities are subject to any restrictions or limitations imposed by the federal regulations, statutes, and policies referenced in this NOFO. HUD expects TA providers will use a range of tools to work with jurisdictions. Some jurisdictions may have specific technical needs (for example, conducting geospatial analysis to identify vacant and underutilized land suitable for development; or identifying mechanisms to capture value from development near transit to support affordable housing and community development). Other jurisdictions may need more intensive, longer-term assistance (for example, to build coordination among local governmental departments to enable holistic and equitable planning; or to work with local organizations to design and implement meaningful community engagement to inform a neighborhood infrastructure and housing plan). The TA engagement may also include synthesizing lessons learned from the work with UGLGs and their partners to develop TA tools and products that can be useful to a group that extends beyond the beneficiaries of HUD’s Thriving Communities TA. a) Needs Assessments. Needs assessments are intended to help determine the nature and scope of the TA and capacity building required by the jurisdictions requesting TA. Needs assessments help to quantify the potential impact of development activity and initiatives. They also examine local market conditions so that program resources may be better targeted and leveraged. In some instances, a self-assessment by the potential TA beneficiary may provide a satisfactory basis for determining the scope and scale of the assistance necessary. In other cases, a TA provider will conduct an on-site or remote needs assessment to collect information about the capacity gaps of the potential TA beneficiary. A needs assessment may use multiple information collection and analysis tools, including public data resources and primary data gathered on-site. Needs Assessments should be conducted in a collaborative manner, with active involvement of local officials and other stakeholders. b) Direct TA and Capacity Building Engagements. Direct TA and capacity building require working onsite and/or remotely to improve knowledge and capacity around TA Focus Areas mentioned in Section I.A.1. above. c) Development and Maintenance of Tools and Products. Tools and products developed will use adult learning principles to assist UGLGs in adopting effective, efficient, and sustainable practices that address challenges in the TA Focus Areas supported by this NOFO. These products might take the form of web-based courses or trainings, videos, and interactive tools. Tool and product development may also include the creation of templates, desk guides, case studies, toolkits, and curricula that support the four TA Focus Areas. All products and tools developed must comply with Section 508 accessibility requirements. Development and maintenance of tools and products includes translating materials into other languages. d) Self-Directed and Group Learning. Self-directed and group learning is intended to increase the capacity and close the competency gaps of participants by equipping them with the necessary program knowledge and skills needed to integrate housing needs into their infrastructure planning and increase housing supply. Group learning will incorporate adult learning principles that may include delivery of HUD-approved training courses remotely or in person; online self directed courses; problem-solving clinics; policy academies; live or pre-recorded webinars; and peer-to-peer assistance exchanges for TA beneficiaries with similar local market contexts, challenges, opportunities, and community needs. Group learning could include establishing and supporting group learning cohorts and curricula. e) Coordination. Coordination involves activities conducted with other TA providers and/or HUD to plan the technical assistance engagements, including data gathering, studies, and analysis, and the identification of actions that will implement such plans. Coordination enables successful applicants to: · Determine needs and capacity gaps to address with TA beneficiaries, including addressing needs across multiple federal programs · Set long-term goals and short-term objectives for technical assistance plans · Devise products and activities to meet these goals and objectives · Evaluate the progress of such programs and activities in accomplishing these goals and objectives f) Administration. Administrative activities are directly associated with overall award management and execution, including salaries and benefits of persons who support the execution of the award terms. Costs include preparing reports for submission to HUD, obtaining program audits, and general operating costs when billed direct. Administrative costs are not allowable as direct award execution charges when these costs are included in a selected applicant organization’s negotiated indirect cost rate agreement or when the organization is using the de minimus rate. Refer to section VI.A. of this NOFO for administrative cost limits applicable to award execution costs. Certain administrative costs are not considered to be award execution costs and are not subject to the administrative limits in this NOFO. For example, the salary and fringe benefits for the Program Manager assigned to oversee the outcome of a specific TA engagement are considered part of the TA engagement costs and are not included in award execution costs. Rental and maintenance of office space is allowed only under the following conditions: · The lease must be for existing facilities not requiring rehabilitation or construction except for minimal alterations to make the facilities accessible for a person with disabilities; · No repairs or renovations of the property may be undertaken with funds provided under this NOFO; and · Properties in the Coastal Barrier Resources System designated under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3501) cannot be leased or rented with federal funds.
Funding of approximately $5,000,000 is available through this NOFO. Additional funds may become available for award under this NOFO. Use of these funds might be subject to statutory constraints or other requirements. All awards are subject to the funding restrictions contained in this NOFO.
Preference Points This NOFO offers up to 2 preference points for an HBCU applicant or an applicant partnering with an HBCU
Program Office: Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)
Funding Opportunity Title: Thriving Communities Technical Assistance
Assistance Listing Number: 14.259
FAIN (FR) Number: FR-6600-N-85
OMB Approval Numbers: 2528-0338
Estimated Opening Date: 10/6/2022
Estimated Deadline Date: November 22, 2022
Sample TEMPLATE - Note: The workbook is referenced in Section IV.B.1.b. has been added to the application package. Additionally, a template for the Application summary required by Section IV.B.1.a. has been added. Use of these templates to provide the information identified in these sections is not required.
Agency Contact: Questions regarding specific program requirements for this NOFO should be directed to: Katina Jordan Phone: 202-402-7577 Email: Katina.L.Jordan@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.