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Funding Opportunities

Filter and sort active funding sources to find programs that meet your community's needs. This page focuses on opportunities available to local governments, with occasional listings for related programs when a local government is a required partner or when participation may support local recovery efforts.

All information is provided as a starting point; users should verify eligibility, deadlines, and requirements directly with the administering agency.

CDBG-DR Workforce Housing for Ownership

Opportunuty Url:
https://www.commercerecovery.nc.gov...
Federal / State / Local / Private:
State
Disaster specific?:
Yes
Disaster declaration required?:
Yes
Current Status:
Open
One time or recurring opportunity?:
One time
Responsible Organization:
Renew NC
Contact info:
dcr.housing@commerce.nc.gov
Assistance Type:
Grant
Application Link:
https://www.commercerecovery.nc.gov...
Application Criteria:
Projects must be tied to Helene recovery and meet HUD and other federal program requirements. Projects must meet one of HUD's national objectives. Properties must:
  • Be designed for for‑sale residential use
  • Meet all applicable program construction, accessibility, environmental, zoning, broadband, and energy efficiency requirements.
  • Qualify as real property under N.C. law
  • Comply with Federal Flood Risk Management
  • Standard requirements. Sites located in the 100-year floodplain, 500-year floodplain, floodway, or nonencroachment areas are ineligible unless the project meets HUD floodplain management requirements.
  • MHUs in any flood zone are not permitted.
Sites must be suitable for residential development and must meet all environmental, legal, and zoning requirements prior to award or project initiation. Sites must be zoned for residential use or show clear and feasible path to rezoning approval within 90 days of a conditional award.
Partnership required?:
Yes
Rolling/ Fixed Deadline:
Fixed
Single or Multiple Deadlines?:
Single
Application Deadlines:
  • December 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Who's Eligible?:
  • Nonprofits
  • Private organizations
  • Public-private partnerships
  • Public Authority
  • Units of local government
Eligible Uses:
  • Housing
Additional detail on uses:
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
  • New construction of workforce housing
  • Rehabilitation of workforce housing
Eligible applicants include but are not limited to:
  • For-profit developers
  • Non-profit housing developers, including Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) and Community-Based Development Organizations (CBDOs)
  • Community Land Trusts
  • Public housing authorities
  • Units of local government
Joint ventures between eligible entities above, provided they demonstrate adequate development capacity and financial management acumen   Applicants must:
  • Be legally organized to develop and convey affordable housing;
  • Demonstrate experience in completing similar affordable housing projects incorporating public funding; andNot be debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from participation in federal or state programs.
Eligible Areas:
  • Locations within HUD-identified MID areas: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties
Prohibited Uses:
The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of ineligible costs and activities:
  • Construction of manufactured homes or mobile homes located within any flood zone.
  • Costs more than the allowable per-unit subsidy limits (see section 2.3 in the policy manual for per-unit maximum subsidies), as established by DCR.
  • Duplication of benefits from other sources.
  • Activities without a direct tie to Hurricane Helene.
  • Costs incurred prior to environmental clearance, unless approved by DCR as outlined in the program’s policies and procedures.
  • Luxury improvements not essential to health and safety (e.g., swimming pools, high-end finishes, etc.).
  • Commercial components not allocated to a non-CDBG-DR source.
  • Operating reserves.
  • Political, lobbying, or legal fees unrelated to program delivery.
Award Mechanism:
Block
Award Minimum:
$2M
Award Maximum:
$5M
Total funding available:
$53M
Award Selection Criteria:
  • Capacity of the Applicant (10 percent/10 points)
  • Community Need for Workforce Housing (20 percent/20 points)
  • Soundness of Approach (40 percent/40 points)
  • Leverage of Other Resources (20 percent/20 points)
  • Achieving Results (10 percent/10 points)
In addition to the points outlined above, DCR may allocate additional points to applications based on certain factors, such as:
  • Targeting affordability requirements below the program requirement of 80 percent AMI (+10 points).
  • Enhanced mitigation or resilience features, such as Green Building Standards or Energy STAR features (+5 points).
  • Length of affordability term beyond the program requirement of 15 years (+10 points).
  • Are located in geographic areas that have historically been underrepresented in affordable housing investments or are underrepresented in funding investments for Hurricane Helene recovery (+20 points).
  • Leveraging HUD’s Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) grants (+3 points).
Specific Compliance Requirements:

All awarded projects must comply with all applicable local, state, and federal cross-cutting requirements. Federal requirements include but are not limited to:

  • Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA)
  • Section 3 Economic Opportunities
  • Section 504 Accessibility and Compliance
  • Uniform Relocation Act (URA) and Residential Anti-Displacement
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • 2 CFR Part 200 Financial Management
  • Duplication of Benefits (DOB) and cost reasonableness standards
  • Force Account Labor
  • Civil Rights compliance, including the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
  • Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Minority and/or Women Owned Business
  • Protecting Sensitive and Personal Identifiable Information
  • Conflict of Interest
Resources, Pro Tips, Trainings
Pro Tip:
While prescreening is not required to submit a program application, it is strongly encouraged. Prescreening provides an initial review to help determine whether proposed Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) projects align with federal requirements, meet a national objective, and demonstrate financial feasibility.   Workforce Housing for Ownership Program is ONLY for properties located within a HUD-identified MID area. The eligible HUD MID areas are limited to Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, Mecklenburg (ZIP code 28214 only), McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey Counties.
Trainings
Training
Renew NC Multi-Family (Non-LIHTC) and Workforce Housing for Ownership Information Workshops
Tue, Sep 8, 2026 • 1:00 PM
Agency: Renew NC
Register
Training
Renew NC Multi-Family (Non-LIHTC) and Workforce Housing for Ownership Information Workshop
Wed, Sep 9, 2026 • 10:00 AM
Register
Training
Renew NC Multi-Family (Non-LIHTC) and Workforce Housing for Ownership Information Workshop
Wed, Sep 9, 2026 • 3:00 PM
Agency: Renew NC
Register
Training
Renew NC Multi-Family (Non-LIHTC) and Workforce Housing for Ownership Information Workshop
Thu, Sep 10, 2026 • 10:00 AM
Agency: Renew NC
Register
Training
Renew NC Multi-Family (Non-LIHTC) and Workforce Housing for Ownership Information Workshop
Thu, Sep 10, 2026 • 3:00 PM
Agency: RenewNC
Register
Funding Resources
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 1): Recovery and Resilience after Helene Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 2A): Threshold Requirements, Tie-back, Nat'l Objectives Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 2B): Environmental Review, Duplication of Benefits, and more Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 2C): Funding Allocation, Program Overview, Local Gov't Survey Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 3A): Compliance Overview Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 3B): Procurement and Contracting Visit
CDBG-DR Grant Readiness Training (Part 3C): Crosscutting Visit
Renew NC Program Comparison Chart Visit