Current Action Alerts:

• Maximize Federal Appropriations
• Increase CED Program Funding
• Make EPA Funding More Accessible to CDCs

SIGN ON: Tell Congress to Maximize Housing & Community Development Funding

Congress is currently slicing the budget pie for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The Campaign for Housing & Community Development Funding is circulating an influential sign-on letter. The letter urges Congress to allocate the highest-possible level of funding for affordable housing, community development, and homelessness programs.

Take action in 3 ways:

1. Sign the letter on behalf of your organization. (Click here for full letter text and list of organizations already signed on.)
2. Urge organizations in your network to sign the letter too.
3. Contact Members of Congress by clicking here.

NACEDA is a proud member of the Coalition for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), which organized the letter. CHCDF is a national coalition of over 70 national housing and community development advocates.

CONTACT YOUR REP: Advocate for Increased CED Program Funding

Now is a key time to contact your Representatives in the U.S. House! The President’s budget includes $23.615 million for the CED Program, an increase of $1.2 million. Please help build support for this budget request. Urge your Representatives to include the CED Program in their member appropriations request by Friday, March 24

Background

Last week, Rep. Pingree circulated a letter building support for this budget request to the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees Health & Human Services (HHS), under which the CED Program resides. For any questions about this letter, please reach out to Evan Johnston at [email protected]. 

Resources

This fact sheet explains the impressive impact of the CED Program, an essential source of federal funding for community development corporations (CDCs) to create jobs and expand businesses in lower-income communities. The most recent analysis of CED grantee reports to HHS found 10 to 1 leverage, where CDCs received $71 million in CED grants and leveraged $787.5 million in total project funds to create and expand businesses.

You can also use this appropriations template to submit information about the program to your Member of the House. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please reach out to Bob Rapoza at [email protected] or Ha Nguyen at [email protected]

SUBMIT COMMENTS: Make Billions in Climate Justice Funding More Accessible to CDCs

We encourage community development nonprofits to submit comments on the $3 billion Environmental & Climate Justice Block Grant Program. So far, $650 million of this Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant program is specifically targeted for community-based nonprofits and we expect more. 

As TA providers, potential grantees, and field experts, your comments are invaluable for designing an effective and accessible program. Your comments can help the EPA to bridge barriers between the community development field and their environmental and climate justice initiatives. 

Submit a comment letter by April 29. Responses can touch on as few or as many of the questions as you feel appropriate. Here are all the tools you need:

• EPA Request for Information, which reviews the overall program and comment process. We created a Comment Letter Template that makes it easier to address questions in the required format.
  
  
• EPA Video Overview provides a 15-minute introduction to the mission, scope, and scale of the Environmental & Climate Justice Grant Program.
  
  
• Guide to submit comments on regulations.gov.
  
  
• Feel free to use any of the language in NACEDA’s own comment letter.

Please contact Chanse Sonsalla at [email protected] if you have any questions. And, subscribe to NACEDA’s e-communications to receive our special bulletin alerts when additional funding and other opportunities become available. Read our first special bulletin.