Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) - Competitive Grant Program | FR 6500 N 48

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6500 N 48

The Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive Grant Program is a discretionary funding opportunity from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), administered by HUDs Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) within the Office of Public and Indian Housing. It is authorized under Title I of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), as amended (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.), and it provides an additional competitive pool of resources on top of the regular IHBG formula grants. Congress set aside 100,000,000 for these competitive awards through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-156), with HUD using a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to explain how proposals will be evaluated and selected.

The core purpose of the program is to help eligible Indian tribes and tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs) develop, maintain, and operate affordable housing in safe and healthy environments on reservations and in other Indian areas, along with other eligible affordable housing activities allowed under NAHASDA. A central requirement is that the use of funds must primarily benefit low-income Indian families, keeping the program focused on communities facing the greatest housing instability and affordability challenges. This competition is framed as a response to documented unmet need, including HUDs 2017 study on housing needs in tribal areas, which highlighted severe overcrowding and noted that an estimated 68,000 new units would have been needed in just the 2013 to 2015 period to reduce overcrowding and replace housing in poor physical condition.

HUD makes clear that its top priority in awarding competitive funds is supporting strong, viable projects that directly expand or preserve housing supply in Indian Country, especially projects that lead to real construction or rehabilitation outcomes. New construction is particularly encouraged because it increases the number of available units for low-income Indian families and directly addresses the housing shortage. Rehabilitation is also strongly supported when it extends the useful life of existing affordable housing and reduces substandard conditions. In addition, HUD encourages the acquisition of existing housing units when that approach increases housing stock, as well as necessary affordable housing-related infrastructure projects that enable future construction or rehabilitation. While these areas receive emphasis, applicants are not limited to them; proposals may also request funding for other eligible NAHASDA activities, as long as they align with program requirements and the goal of serving low-income Indian families.

The NOFO also pushes applicants to think beyond one-off projects. Tribes and TDHEs are encouraged to propose activities that fit into a broader, comprehensive plan to improve local housing conditions, particularly where overcrowding and deteriorated units are persistent. HUD signals that strong applications will reflect long-term planning and show how the proposed project connects to wider community priorities, such as future infrastructure buildout, opportunities tied to economic development, and overall community sustainability. In other words, HUD is looking not only at what will be built or repaired, but also whether the applicant has a credible strategy and capacity to carry the work through and position it within a larger plan.

From a selection standpoint, HUD will screen applications and conduct a threshold review first. Applications that pass those steps will be rated and scored, and awards will be made in rank order based on the scores received. HUD also reserves the option to issue a supplemental or separate NOFO if needed, for example if additional steps are required to ensure all appropriated funds are awarded. Grantees must comply with NAHASDA and HUDs implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 1000, which govern eligible uses, planning and reporting, and other administrative and compliance responsibilities.

Key opportunity details included in the source data are: the funding instrument is a grant; the opportunity category is discretionary; the primary activity area is housing (also tagged with Opportunity Zone benefits in the listing); the CFDA number is 14.867; eligible applicants include federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other eligible Native American tribal organizations such as TDHEs. The NOFO referenced an award ceiling of 5,000,000 per award and an expected 20 awards in total. The listing shows a creation date of Aug 24, 2021 and an original closing date of Dec 01, 2021 (11:59:59 PM Eastern), indicating the specific competition cycle described in the notice.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing, opportunity zone benefits sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) - Competitive Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 24, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 01, 2021 The application deadline is 115959 PM Eastern Standard time on. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

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