Arlington's Community Development Fund

Nonprofit organizations serving low-income Arlington residents are invited to submit proposals for funding through Arlington County's Community Development Fund and the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF). This invitation is midway through a two year grant cycle and limited funding is available July 1, 2012 (Fiscal Year 2013). These funds are Community Development Block Grant, Community Services Block Grant, and County General Funds.

Requests for new one year grants between $10,000 and $30,000 will be considered for services to support households in affordable housing developments, activities aimed at assisting low income residents reduce housing costs, and services to assist low income families and individuals to obtain and keep housing.

Proposals are due by September 23, 2011. Application materials are HERE or call (703) 228-3762 for more information.

Nonprofit Organization Capacity Building Program

Arlington Economic Development invites proposals for its annual Nonprofit Organization Capacity Building Program to be submitted by September 23, 2011. Selected Executive Directors and Board Members of local nonprofits will be given a detailed assessment that will include the use of the Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT) to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the nonprofit's capacity overall. Once its critical capacity needs have been identified, we will work with the nonprofit over the next 12 months to address them and enhance its sustainability and impact.

For more information, contact Tara Palacios at (703) 228-0853 or visit the Arlington Economic Development Web site for application materials.

 What Activities Can Be Funded by the Community Development Fund?

• Human service projects aimed at low- and moderate-income Neighborhood Strategy Area residents, particularly
  • Youth and families;
  • Immigrants;
  • Disadvantaged minority groups;
  • Elderly residents;
  • Persons with disabilities;
• County-wide community development activities aimed at very low-income residents;
• Projects which support the County's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness;
• Services to support households in affordable housing developments, and
• Capacity building activities for nonprofits that serve low-income residents, such as technical assistance, facility improvements, consultants, fundraising and board development, requested as part of a direct service proposal.

Please note that eligible organizations must be nonprofit 501(c)3 agencies serving low- and moderate-income Arlington residents. 

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 Community Development Funding Resources

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, supported by an annual formula entitlement grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assists the County to:

• Provide decent and affordable housing
• Provide clean and safe neighborhoods
• Create economic opportunities.

On the local level, Arlington decides what its housing and community development needs are and, within limits prescribed by HUD, which activities will be undertaken to meet those needs. These funds are used to provide housing, support public services and economic opportunities for low and moderate income persons. Needs are detailed in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan. 

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program is also an entitlement grant, awarded to Community Action Agencies (CAAs) and other programs that seek to address poverty at the community level. The money is passed through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and managed by the Virginia Department of Social Services. Arlington County can use the funds for employment, education, income management, housing, nutrition, emergency services, and health, depending on its determined needs. This is part of the competitive Community Development Fund.

Arlington's Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF), in addition to its "bricks and mortar" program, provides funding for services for residents of affordable housing apartment complexes. $100,000 is allocated for AHIF Housing Services each year. Proposals must address unmet and/or changing housing needs. The proposals can request up to two years funding, with funding declining by ½ the second grant year. This is part of the competitive Community Development Fund.

The Small Grants Fund supports NSA activities. Generally, these are small-scale and time limited projects that focus on community building and addressing an immediate short-term need that is small in scope. Funding is limited to $1,000 per annum and an organization may not repeatedly apply for support more than once in a given year.

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 Nonprofit Capacity Building and Technical Assistance

Every year, the County issues a request for proposals (RFP) for nonprofits based or historically performing work within Arlington. The County select a group of six nonprofits, three which are currently  or have been funded through the CDF, and three others. These nonprofits are eligible to receive free of charge an assessment to determine organizational capacity strengths and weaknesses. A specialist will work with the nonprofit’s board and administrative leadership to explore possibilities to make the organization better functioning and sustainable and give it the opportunity to refine or expand its services to meet its mission goals. The RFP is generally issued in August and decisions are made in September. For further information, please contact David Bennett, Community Development Planner III, at dbennett@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3762. 

 Community Involvement

Every resident in Arlington is encouraged to become involved in the planning and budget process of the CDBG program. Committees composed of residents of the Neighborhood Strategy Areas (NSAs), advisory groups such as the Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee (CDCAC), and the Housing Commission provide opportunities for citizen input.

• Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee
  Meets year-round and advises on development of the annual CD program and the Consolidated Plan, implementation and evaluation of the CD program, proposed amendments to the Annual Plan, and allocations of unprogrammed CD funds. The time and place of CDCAC's meetings can be obtained by calling the Housing Division at 703-228-3760.
• Neighborhood Strategy Area Committees or Groups
  There are eleven participating neighborhoods. Residents of NSAs are involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating CDBG activities in their neighborhood. Contact the Community Development staff for more information.
• Public hearings on Needs and Performance
  Hearings and forums are held by the CDCAC and Housing Commission each Fall on community development and housing needs and strategies. The proposed Annual Plan describing CDBG activities and past performance is included in the County Board budget hearing in March.

For questions or copies of documents, please contact the Housing Division at 703.228.3760 or Jane Eboch.

 Federal Grants Management

In addition to administering the CDF, preparing the Five Year Consolidated Plan and One Year Action Plans, monitoring grant subrecipients, timely and appropriate grant expenditure, grant outcomes and financial reporting to the state and federal governments, and staffing the CDCAC, the team is responsible for overall management of federal entitlements. This includes conducting eligibility determinations for all federally-assisted projects whether they are capital or noncapital undertakings. Staff is also responsible for fulfilling obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to ensure that any undertaking sponsored by the County has met stringent due diligence requirements. If you are a nonprofit directly competing for funds from the federal  government and you are awarded a grant which requires you to conduct an environmental review, as the responsible entity for any federally-assisted undertaking in the County, we are responsible for the environmental review. Staff will work with you to maneuver through this process. For further information, you may visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/environment/lawsandregs/compliance/forms/trngmanual/chapter1.cfm or contact David Bennett, Community Development Planner III, at dbennett@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3762.

Staff is also responsible for implementation and compliance with the Section 3 Policy which requires most federally-assisted capital projects to promote economic opportunities for low and moderate income individuals in the County. If you are an income eligible person or a small business which is either owned by at least 51% low and moderate income individuals or employs at least 51% low and moderate income individuals, there are opportunities for you to receive free training and certification in the construction trades or to bid with preference on certain contracts. For further information, you may refer to the County’s Section 3 Policy or contact David Bennett, Community Development Planner III, at dbennett@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3762.

Compliance with Davis-Bacon Labor Act standards is also managed by the CD team. This Act ensures that all contractors working on federally-assisted capital  projects are paying their employees fair wages (and fringes as applicable) and not violating federal employment standards. Staff work with housing developers which are sponsoring these projects to confirm that they are correctly auditing payrolls submitted by contractors, and are conducting site visits to interview workers to ensure that they are not being intimidated, being required to work in a trade for which they are not certified or being compensated, and investigate other job-related issues. For further information on Davis-Bacon and its applicability, please visit  http://www.hud.gov/offices/olr/streamline.cfm or contact Nicolette Modaber, Financial Analyst, at nmodab@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3761.

The team also works with other County, state, and federal specialists on Lead-based Paint Hazard compliance, applicability of the Uniform Relocation Act, Fair Housing, historic preservation, promoting small women and minority-owned businesses to contract with the County, and economic development initiatives. The team supports other units within the Housing Division with subsidy layering analysis, contracting with various partners, and placing restrictive affordability covenants on federally-assisted projects. If you have questions about these activities, you may contact David Bennett, Community Development Planner III, at dbennett@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3762.

The neighboring City of Falls Church’s HOME, CDBG, and CSBG annual formula entitlement grants are also managed by Arlington County through a Cooperation Agreement. The Agreement allows for the City to be counted with the County each year when HUD Entitlement amounts. Staff monitor, report data, and provide technical assistance to the City as part of this agreement. To view the current agreement, click here.  If you have further questions about the Cooperation Agreement, you may contact David Bennett, Community Development Planner III, at dbennett@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3762.

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