Responsive Grants for Education in New York

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) is soliciting applications to award approximately $1.5 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary funds through the CED Planning Grants. This funding opportunity is specifically aimed at Community Development Corporations (CDCs) to stimulate new CED project development by providing financial assistance for administrative capacity building. The overarching goal aligns with OCS's mission to reduce poverty by connecting CDCs with CED resources for social and revenue reinvestment, ultimately helping to spark economic growth in local communities. The primary objective of the CED Planning Grants is to stimulate new projects in underserved and under-resourced communities. The funding is centered on equity, focusing resources in persistent high-poverty areas with struggling economies that have previously been unable to put forth a viable CED project. The target beneficiaries are CDCs operating in these high-poverty areas, targeting both urban and rural communities, with the impact goal of strengthening their administrative capacity to successfully develop and execute CED projects. OCS has outlined specific priority areas for this funding opportunity. These priorities include aligning with Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and the Justice40 Initiative, underscoring support for energy communities. The OCS also prioritizes increased equity in the geographic distribution of CED funds, consistent with the CED statute. Furthermore, a key focus is breaking down service silos and leveraging existing partnerships across OCS programs to reduce poverty through a wraparound services model for communities with low incomes. The expected outcomes and measurable results revolve around the success of CDCs in using the administrative capacity building funds to develop viable CED projects. The goal is that these awards will serve as a crucial step, connecting CDCs with the necessary CED resources for future social and revenue reinvestment. This theory of change suggests that by first strengthening the administrative foundations of CDCs in high-need areas, OCS can enable these organizations to successfully secure and utilize capital for subsequent CED projects, thereby fostering sustainable economic growth and reducing poverty in historically struggling economies.