Fair Housing Initiatives Program - Private Enforcement Initiative | FR 6800 N 21 C

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6800 N 21 C

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) - Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) is a competitive grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to strengthen private, nonprofit fair housing enforcement work. The core purpose is to prevent and eliminate discriminatory housing practices and to ensure people understand their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). While FHIP as a whole supports multiple tracks of work (including education, outreach, and organizational capacity building), this particular Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is focused only on enforcement-oriented activities carried out by experienced fair housing organizations.

Under PEI, HUD funds private, nonprofit fair housing enforcement organizations to conduct the hands-on work required to identify and challenge housing discrimination. That includes taking in complaints, investigating allegations, performing fair housing testing (for example, comparing how similarly qualified applicants are treated), and pursuing enforcement of rights provided by the FHA or by state and local fair housing laws that offer substantially equivalent rights and remedies. The emphasis is on real enforcement capacity and demonstrated experience, not general public education alone. The broader goal is to produce measurable enforcement outcomes that deter discriminatory conduct and increase compliance with fair housing requirements in the housing market.

This NOFO announces approximately $9,691,794 available under the PEI Multi-Year Funding Component for new FY2023 grant awards. Awards can be as high as $425,000 per year per grantee, and they are structured to run for four years, with continued funding in future years dependent on congressional appropriations. HUD anticipates making about 23 awards. In practical terms, the multi-year structure is meant to give enforcement organizations stable support so they can maintain staff, testing programs, investigations, and litigation or administrative enforcement strategies over time rather than operating project-to-project.

Eligibility is limited to organizations that already function as fair housing enforcement organizations with a broad-based, full-service enforcement program. Applicants must qualify as either a Qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organization (QFHO) or a Fair Housing Enforcement Organization (FHO), as defined in HUD regulations (24 CFR 125.103 and 125.401). A QFHO generally must show at least two years of experience in key enforcement areas (complaint intake, complaint investigation, testing, and enforcement-related experience involving meritorious claims) during the three years before applying. An FHO generally must show at least one year of experience in those enforcement-related activities during the two years before applying. Importantly, applicants are expected to be currently conducting all of the listed enforcement activities, not merely proposing to start them with grant funds. Applicants also must complete Appendix B, the Certification for PEI Applicants, to formally certify their QFHO or FHO status as part of the application.

The NOFO is explicit about what is not eligible. Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorships cannot apply or receive awards under this announcement. Organizations that do not meet the QFHO or FHO thresholds are directed to consider other FHIP funding opportunities that are better aligned with earlier-stage capacity building or non-enforcement work, such as the Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI), the separate Tester Coordinator Training opportunity issued under EOI per appropriations directives, and the Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI). Those programs have their own eligibility rules and are intended to support activities like outreach, education, training infrastructure, or organizational development rather than enforcement operations that require a proven track record.

There is also a coordination rule meant to prevent duplication of federally funded work across different FHIP awards. If an organization applies for and receives both a PEI grant and an FHOI Continuing Development Component (CDC) grant, HUD may rescind the FHOI-CDC funding if it determines that the two awards support activities that are exactly alike or substantially similar. This is essentially an anti-duplication safeguard to ensure each federal dollar supports distinct work rather than paying twice for the same program activities.

Key administrative details from the source data include: Opportunity Number FR 6800 N 21 C; it is a discretionary grant opportunity in the housing category (CFDA/Assistance Listing 14.418) administered by HUD. The application closing date listed is 2024-11-25, and the maximum annual award (ceiling) is $425,000, consistent with the multi-year funding design described above.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fair Housing Initiatives Program - Private Enforcement Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.418.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $425,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 23 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for FR 6800 N 21 C

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