Information on Available State and Federal Grants December 1998 Vol. 12, #12

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NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation

RESTORE funds may be used to pay for the cost of emergency repairs to eliminate hazardous conditions in homes owned by the elderly when the homeowners cannot afford to make the repairs in a timely fashion.

To be eligible for assistance, homeowners must be 60 years of age or older with an income that does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income.

Work undertaken cannot exceed $5,000 per building. Funds must be used for low-income elderly owner-occupied households in one- to four- unit owner occupied dwellings. The program permits not-for-profit corporations to use up to 7.5 percent of the award to cover administrative costs. Municipalities can use up to 5 percent for administrative costs.

ELIGIBILITY: Not-for-profit corporations and municipalities are eligible.

FUNDING: $400,000 is available statewide.

DEADLINE: March 22, 1999.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your nearest Regional Office listed below.

Regional Offices: Albany Regional Office, Frank McKay, Regional Director, 119 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210; telephone (518) 432-0596. Buffalo Regional Office, Thomas Van Nortwick, Regional Director, Statler Towers, 107 Delaware Avenue, Suite 600, Buffalo, NY 14202; telephone (716) 842-2244. New York City Regional Office, Sharon Ebert, Regional Director, 25 Beaver Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10004; telephone (212) 480-7165. Syracuse Regional Office, Frank McKay, Regional Director, 800 South Wilbur Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13204; mailing address: P.O. Box 1127, Syracuse, NY 13201; telephone (315) 473-6930.

NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation

The HOME Program funds a variety of activities through partnerships with counties, towns, cities, villages, private developers, and community-based non-profit housing organizations. The program provides funds to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct housing, or to provide assistance to low-income home-buyers and renters.

HOME Program funds may only be used to assist households with incomes at or below 80% of area median income. Rental projects must primarily serve households with income at or below 60% of area median income. Assisted rental units must remain affordable for a period of between five and 20 years, depending on the initial amount of subsidy provided for the project.

HOME Program funds may be used to pay for acquisition, rehabilitation, construction, and certain related soft costs. Funds may also be used for relocation costs, tenant-based rental assistance, down-payment and closing costs, and some administration and planning costs. Funds may only be used with respect to residential housing.

ELIGIBILITY: Any private for-profit or not-for-profit entity that can demonstrate the capacity to develop and operate a qualifying project is eligible to apply. Units of general local government that have not been designated by HUD as participating jurisdictions and not-for-profit corporations that meet certain administrative tests may also apply as local program administrators. Jurisdictions which receive HOME Program funding directly from the federal government may not apply for New York State HOME Program funds.

FUNDING: Approximately $24 million. Seed money loans of up to $45,000 per project is also available and may be requested at any time through the regional office.

DEADLINE: February 8, 1999 for project funding. March 22, 1999 for program funding.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your regional representative listed under the RESTORE program.

NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation

The Low Income Housing Trust Fund Program (HTF) was established to help meet the critical need for decent, affordable housing for people of low income. Specifically, HTF provides funding to construct low-income housing, to rehabilitate vacant or under-utilized residential property, or to convert vacant non-residential property to residential use for occupancy by low-income homesteaders, tenants, tenant-cooperators or condominium owners. HTF can also provide seed money to eligible non-profit applicants who need financial assistance in developing a full HTF application.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be not-for-profit corporations or charitable organizations or their wholly-owned subsidiaries; housing development fund companies; municipalities; counties; housing authorities; private developers who limit their profits or rate of return of investors; or partnerships in which the non-profit partner has at least a 50 percent controlling interest. Low-income persons may not be direct recipients of payments, grants or loans form the corporation, but may receive such funds from another eligible applicant. Except for municipalities and counties, eligible applicants must have been in existence for at least one year prior to application and have as one of their primary purposes the improvement or provision of housing for low-income persons.

FUNDING: Approximately $23 million. Seed money of up to $45,000 per project is available and may be requested through your regional office at any time.

DEADLINE: February 8, 1999.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your regional representative listed under the RESTORE program.

NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announces a program to support the development, demonstration, and commercialization of innovative transportation products and systems. To be eligible for a contract award, proposals must, at minimum: include building or demonstrating a working prototype of a transportation product or system within 36 months; clearly identify energy, environmental, and economic benefits the proposed product will provide in New York state; if relevant, be consistent with regional transportation plans governing new systems and infrastructure; offer co-funding in the form of cash, labor, or other resources that the proposer or others plan to contribute to the project; and provide for royalty payments to NYSERDA upon product commercialization.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be able to meet the criteria listed above.

FUNDING: $1,000,000 is available to fund contracts of up to $250,000 per project. NYSERDA prefers its share of project costs to be at most 50% of the estimated cash value of all resources required to complete the project.

DEADLINE: January 14, 1999.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Jane Powers, PON No. 413-98, NYSERDA, Corporate Plaza West, 286 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12203-6399;
fax (518) 862-1091; e-mail jap@nyserda.org. Please refer to Program Opportunity Notice (PON) No. 413-98.

Prevention of HIV and other Important Health Problems Among Youth

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of funds for cooperative agreements that establish national programs to prevent behaviors that place elementary through college-aged young people at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unintended pregnancy, and other important health problems. CDC expects to award cooperative agreements to national organizations that can become an integral part of a broad national strategy to prevent and reduce 1) sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, STDs, and unintended pregnancy; 2) alcohol and other drug use; 3) tobacco use; 4) dietary patterns that result in disease; 5) intentional and unintentional injury; and 6) sedentary lifestyles among young people.

ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants are national health, education, and social service organizations including national parent and minority organizations that are private, nonprofit, professional, or voluntary. Eligible organizations must have affiliate offices or local, state, or regional membership constituencies in a minimum of 10 states and territories. Colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.

FUNDING: It is anticipated that $6 million will be available to fund approximately 25 awards.

DEADLINE: December 21, 1998.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Robert Hancock, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Program Announcement 99-023, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE, Mail Stop E-18, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209; telephone (404) 842-6508; e-mail rnh2@cdc.gov. See also the CDC home page: http://www.cdc.gov. To request an application, call
1 (888) GRANTS4. Please refer to Program Announcement 99023 when requesting information.

Culturally Diverse Academic Institutions (CDAI) Fellowships for Undergraduate and Graduate Environmental Study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering Culturally Diverse Academic Institutions (CDAI) Graduate Fellowships for masters and doctoral level students in environmentally-related fields of study and Undergraduate Fellowships for students starting their final two years of study in the following majors: environmental science, physical sciences, biological sciences, computer science, environmental health, social sciences, mathematics or engineering.

CDAIs are defined as Historically Black Colleges or Universities, Hispanic Associations of Colleges or Universities and members of the American Indian Consortium for Higher Education.

The purpose of the fellowship programs is to encourage promising students to obtain degrees and pursue careers in environmentally related fields. It is a goal of the EPA to provide leadership in the nation’s environmental science, research, education, assessment, restoration, and preservation efforts.

Masters level students may receive support for up to two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be citizens of the United States or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

FUNDING: The Graduate Fellowship provides up to $34,000 per year of support. The Undergraduate Fellowship covers full tuition, fees, $250 towards the purchasing of books plus a $1,125 stipend over a nine-month period.

DEADLINE: Graduate Fellowships - January 13, 1999. Undergraduate Fellowships – January 15, 1999.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Consult the National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance (NCERQA) home page at http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa or call the Help Line at (800) 490-9194.