The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services is seeking applications to award approximately $3.2 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary grant funds to Community Development Corporations for CED projects that will be located in and serve energy communities – communities that have either experienced employment loss and/or economic dislocation events as a result of declines in the fossil fuel industry and/or are disproportionately reliant on fossil fuel energy production or distribution, including coal, oil, gas, and power plant communities across the country.
Donor Name: Administration for Children and Families
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/29/2022
Size of the Grant: $800,000
Grant Duration: 48 months
Details:
Projects may include the creation or expansion of business(es) that reduce emissions of toxic substances and greenhouse gases from existing and abandoned infrastructure and that prevent environmental damage that harms communities and poses a risk to public health and safety. Projects may also employ individuals from energy communities but focus on a range of other industries. The overall goal of this effort will be to create good-paying jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation, and support energy workers. Further, these 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.
The objective of this program is to support businesses that develop new products, services, and commercial activities that result in new positions for individuals with low incomes. CED projects are expected to actively recruit individuals with low incomes to fill the positions created by CED-funded development activities, to assist those individuals in successfully maintaining employment, and to ensure that the businesses and jobs created remain viable for at least 1 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.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $800,000
- Award Floor: $100,000
- CED-funded projects can be non-construction or construction projects. Non-construction projects will have one 36-month project and budget period. Projects that involve construction will have one 48-month project and budget period.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the CED program, an applicant must meet the following three conditions:
- Applicant must be a private, non-profit CDC with 501(c)(3) status;
- Applicant must have articles of incorporation or bylaws demonstrating that the CDC has as a principal purpose, experience in planning, developing, or managing of low-income housing or community development projects; and
- Board of Directors must have representation from each of the following: community residents, business leaders, and civic leaders.
Eligible Activities
CED funds may be used for the start-up or expansion activities of participating businesses, as consistent with the cost principles, as implemented in 45 CFR Part 75, Subpart E, provided that the expenditures result in the creation of new positions that can be filled with individuals with low incomes. This includes the following:
- Start-up capital for operating expenses, such as salaries, facilities, and equipment that will be replaced by projected earnings;
- Loans to identified, viable, participating businesses;
- Equity or stock investment in identified, viable, participating businesses.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.