City of Boston Funding update

Community Preservation Act

New FY2025 Eligibility Determination Form - Now Open! To apply for our FY2025 Funding Round, please review our new Eligibility Determination Packet, the How to Apply Page, and complete an Eligibility Determination Form online. The CPA Office will determine if a project meets the eligibility criteria of the CPA statute. If your project is eligible, applicants are invited to submit an application for consideration to our nine-member Community Preservation Committee. Deadline: Friday, August 30th, 2024, at 5 p.m. What's Next - Mayor's Order and City Council Hearing The Community Preservation Committee has recommended 57 affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space and recreation projects for funding, totaling to $38,277,047. The Committee has submitted the FY24 slate of recommendations to the Mayor for transmission to the City Council. A City Council Public Hearing will be scheduled and an official vote by the City Council appropriating funds for the FY24 slate of projects will happen this spring. Share Your Thoughts with the Mayor's Office of Housing - March 19 and March 21 Please join the Mayor's Office of Housing on March 19 or March 21 to discuss the needs and priorities for an estimated $143 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds may be invested in housing, homeless assistance and community development programs that serve low to moderate income residents over a 5-year period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 and cover these HUD programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Registration is NOT required to participate. Interpretation for the hearings is offered in Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. To arrange for interpretation in other languages, including ASL, email mohcomments@boston.gov or call 617-635-3880 at least seven (7) days prior to the hearing date. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request. Hearing # 1 (Virtual - Zoom) Tuesday, March 19, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm Video call link:https://boston-gov.zoom.us/j/5995592565?omn=83698691556 Meeting ID: 599 559 2565 Or dial: 16465588656 Hearing #2 (In Person) Thursday, March 21, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Commonwealth Salon, 700 Boylston Street. Grant Announcements  New Request for Proposal (RFP): The Legacy Fund for Boston History  The Legacy Fund for Boston (LFB) was established in 2018 with the sole purpose of managing charitable funds for the benefit of the City of Boston and its residents. The principal activity and purposes of LFB are to receive and distribute funds to enhance and preserve the character, sense of community and space, and cultural aspects of the City of Boston, with a particular focus on historic preservation. Application Procedure Please see current eligibility guidelines, deadlines, application information, and FAQ by clicking here. LFB Directors hold a virtual Applicant Forum before each deadline to review the grant application process and answer applicant questions. To learn more about how to apply, please visit the website here. Please direct questions related to the application portal to Senior Grants Manager Rita Goldberg at rgoldberg@hembar.com. The Fund’s advisors will contact the applicant if they have questions or require further information. Access the Online Grant Application  REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Grassroots Open Space Program FY24 Funding  The City of Boston acting by and through its Public Facilities Commission by the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH), Director’s Office Division, is seeking proposals for its Grassroots Open Space Program FY24 Funding Awards. The Grassroots Open Space Program makes land and funding available specifically for the development of open space projects such as community gardens, urban farms, food forests, and passive open space. These awards are intended to assist nonprofit neighborhood initiatives with development of such projects, as well as capital improvements to existing open space projects, which are located on land that is not in MOH’s inventory. These funds must be awarded to nonprofit organizations that have a current 501(c)(3) status. Grants will be awarded at MOH’s discretion to eligible organizations and projects. MOH anticipates funding awards up to $150,000 depending on project size and scope in response to this RFP. The RFP deadline is March 11, 2024 at 4pm. DOWNLOAD THE RFP Contact Theresa Strachila, Program Manager, at (617) 635-0267 or theresa.strachila@boston.gov with any questions. George B. Henderson Foundation’s 2024 Grants The RFP for the George B. Henderson Foundation’s 2024 Grants has been posted to the Foundation’s website. Please note that due to a backlog of grant awards for projects that have been delayed into 2024, the Foundation will only hold one grant round in 2024. The proposal deadline is October 4, with an optional virtual applicant forum on September 10, 2024. The grant application portal will open 4-6 weeks before the deadline. For other grant funding resources, please review the lists below: Historic Preservation Funding Resource List Open Space and Recreation Funding Resource List Mayor Michelle Wu, Office of Civic Organizing Announce 2024 Love your Block Spring Cleanups Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Civic Organizing (OCO) announced the Love Your Block spring 2024 cleanups will take place on April 6, April 20, and April 27. Love Your Block is a Citywide community service event that invites community members to lead in hosting a neighborhood cleanup or joining a cleanup as an individual volunteer. Love Your Block neighborhood beautification projects include cleaning up trash on sidewalks and streets, park revitalization, and flower planting. The Love Your Block application is open for volunteers to sign up to become a host or join a neighborhood cleanup here. OCO will connect individuals with a cleanup site in their neighborhood once all sites are finalized. Cleanups will take place in every neighborhood of Boston over the course of three weekends. All sites are listed on the Love Your Block sign up form. Tool collection is scheduled from 9:00 -10:00 a.m., with returns to the same location between 12:00 -2:00 p.m. The dates are as follows: Saturday, April 6: Allston/Brighton, Back Bay/Beacon Hill, Fenway/Kenmore, Mission Hill, South Boston, West Roxbury Saturday, April 20: Charlestown, East Boston, North End/West End/Wharf District, Chinatown/Downtown/Leather District, South End/Bay Village Saturday, April 27: Roxbury, Mid-Dorchester, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain For tips on how to plan and host a cleanup in your neighborhood, OCO has created a helpful guide. ABOUT THE OFFICE OF CIVIC ORGANIZING The Office of Civic Organizing is committed to collaborative partnerships and programs that promote engagement, awareness, and service in communities throughout the City of Boston. Metrolist Boston - Affordable Housing Options Metrolist has listings across Greater Boston, and information to help you find affordable rental and homeownership housing. Search the link below to learn more! https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/search Use the Area Median Income Estimator to help you find housing based on your income and household size:  https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/ami-estimator Questions about the CPA Program? CPA staff is here to answer your questions, talk through a potential project, and assist you through the application process. Please contact us. Thadine Brown, Director  thadine.brown@boston.gov Rakia Islam, Manager of Engagement and Operations  rakia.islam@boston.gov Lizbeth Sanchez, Contracts and Operations Coordinator lizbeth.sanchezrincon@boston.gov Amber Delgado, Grant Compliance Manager amber.delgado@boston.gov Kenya Thompson, Manager of Projects and Planning kenya.thompson2@boston.gov Gillian Lang, Historic Preservation Consultant  gillian.lang@boston.gov Contact us: If you would like our staff to do a CPA presentation for your neighborhood association or organization, contact us here. Please visit the CPA's webpage for updates and events.