Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, otherwise known as US HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the US federal government.
HUD’s efforts are focused throughout the creation of strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for everyone.
In addition, HUD is likewise constantly working towards bolstering the economy and protecting consumers by improving the country’s housing market.
HUD has recently announced a funding opportunity entitled The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program.
This program aims to increase regional planning efforts that integrate housing, transportation, economic development, and environmental infrastructure investment decisions, in order to raise the country’s capability to incorporate livability, sustainability and social equity into land use plans and zoning.
The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program can also be closely coordinated with the Department of Transportation and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The program aims to foster the creation of sustainable communities that are consistent with the following livability principles:
a) provide more transportation choices b) promote equitable, affordable housing c) enhance economic competitiveness d) support existing communities e) coordinate policies and leverage investment e) value communities and neighborhoods
The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program comes with an estimated budget of $67 million for the fiscal year 2011.
Award grants will be made in the form of cooperative agreements while award sizes will vary by category, depending on an eligible community’s population or number of inhabitants.
Interested applicants should apply electronically at the HUD website. Deadline of submission of applications will be on October 6, 2011.
For this program, eligible applicants are multi-jurisdictional and multi-sector partnerships containing a consortium of government entities and non-profit partner.
As listed in the CFDA, the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program will support metropolitan and multijurisdictional planning efforts that unite housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments in a manner that empowers jurisdictions to consider the difficulties revolving around economic competitiveness and revitalization, social equity, inclusion and the means to access opportunity, energy use and climate change, and ultimately, public health and environmental impact.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the main agency that funds the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. Its mission is always to increase the likelihood of homeownership, support community development and raise the people’s access to affordable housing opportunities that is clear of discrimination.
The program in focus is essential to the Department of Housing and Urban Development since it helps them achieve their goals of providing the American people with additional probabilities of owning their homes, thereby supporting the development of the community in which they are a part of.
