At the end of March 2020, the U.S. Congress approved emergency funding to assist local governments and community residents to respond to economic and other impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act included supplemental allocations of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) program funds for local governments, including the City of Fort Worth. These funds must be used to respond to the direct impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic. CDBG-CV funds must benefit low and moderate income Fort Worth residents.
To fulfill the purposes of the CARES Act, the City of Fort Worth (City) Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) is inviting nonprofit and social service agencies to submit requests for CDBG-CV funds through this Request for Proposals (RFP).
A total of $2,466,479 in HUD grant funding is being made available to address the following three City of Fort Worth CARES Act priorities for eligible activities for these HUD grant funds:
1) Short-Term Emergency Rental Assistance, including Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing for Homeless Persons: ($1,866,479);
2) Senior Services/Safe Aging in Place, ($300,000); and
3) Employment-Related Services to Support Poverty Reduction, ($300,000).
Proposals addressing other activities or service types will not be eligible to receive funding under this RFP.
The funds available through this RFP represent 57% of total CDBG-CV CARES Act funds received by the City. A portion of this CARES Act funding was previously awarded directly to agencies and programs addressing the above priorities, in Tier One of the allocation process. This RFP competitive process represents Tier Two of the allocation process. It is anticipated that further CDBG-CV funds will be made available by HUD later this year, as Congress authorized additional CARES Act funding to these programs to be distributed to local governments in a multi-step process. Recipients of Tier One CARES Act funding are eligible to apply for additional funds under this RFP. Funding awards made through this RFP will result in 18 to 24 month contracts beginning June, 2020 and continuing to June 30, 2022. Funding commitments and the execution of contracts are subject to the City of Fort Worth’s receipt of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).
The following projects and costs are specifically not eligible under this RFP:
- Supplanting of funds for existing programs or activities (substitution of CARES Act funding for other funding);
- Applications from for-profit entities;
- Anything that is listed as ineligible or unallowable in the applicable CDBG grant regulations.
HUD is expected to issue further guidance regarding use of CARES Act grant funds in the coming weeks. HUD regulations governing the standard annual CDBG allocations of funds will be applicable to the CARES Act funds unless specifically referenced as an exception under the City’s Contract.