Community Development Grant Application Process

Required Application Materials

Hard Copy Submission
ONE original, signed application, and required supporting material:
Department of Planning and Development
444 Westminster Street, Suite 3A
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Attn: Community Development Application

AND

Electronic Submission
ONE completed Application Form and Budget Worksheets to: cdbgapplication@providenceri.com

Application Forms
Forms can be downloaded to your computer for completing. Drafts can be saved and stored on your computer.

A completed version of the appropriate form must be submitted electronically to cdbgapplication@providenceri.com.

CDBG Small Grant Pool Application

Community Center Service Application

HOPWA Application (Application is due on Friday, February 8, 2012)

CNOG Application

CDBG Affordable Housing Application

Budget Worksheets
Excel worksheets can be downloaded to your computer for completing. Drafts can be saved and stored on your computer.
Completed Budget Worksheets must be submitted electronically to cdbgapplication@providenceri.com.

CDBG Small Grant Pool Application Budget Worksheet

Community Development Facility Project Pro Forma

Community Center Service Budget Worksheet

HOPWA Budget Worksheet

CNOG Budget Worksheet

Application Summary
An Application Summary must be completed on-line and submitted for each application. Please complete the Application Summary and when completed please submit by clicking the SUBMIT button.

All applications require a completed Application Summary. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

To access the Application Summary, click here.

Application Summary is due Friday, February 15, 2013

Application Manuals
For the following applications:
• CDBG Small Grant Pool Application
• CDBG Community Center Service Grant Application
• CDBG Non-Profit Housing Application
• HOPWA Application

Applicants should consult the Community Development Funding Application Handbook for detailed instructions on the Application Forms, Budget Worksheets, Application Summary, submission process/requirements, and eligible projects.

For guidance on applying for the new Consolidated Neighborhood Opportunity Grants, applicants should consult the Guide to the Consolidated Neighborhood Opportunity Grant Program.

For guidance completing the CDBG Affordable Housing Application, please consult:
PY 13-14 CDBG City of Providence Afforcable Housing Guide
PY 13-14 CDBG Affordable Housing Q+A Document

The Official list of all Community Centers in the City of Providence.

Technical Assistance Workshop PowerPoint
The PowerPoint presented at the Technical Assistance Workshops provides additional information on the Community Development applications. Download a PDF of the PowerPoint here.

2011-2013 Consolidated Plan
All proposals must conform to the City's current Consolidated Plan. A copy of the 2011-2013 Consolidated Plan is available here.

Neighborhood Plans
All applications for the new Consolidated Neighborhood Opportunity Grants must address the degree to which the proposed projects align with the needs and priorities identified in the relevant Neighborhood Plan. All current Neighborhood Plans are available on-line here.

Downloading, Saving, and Completing Electronic Forms
This short document provides user-friendly instructions on how to download, save, and complete the application materials. Click here.

Comprehensive & Place-Based Initiatives
Applicants for the Consolidated Neighborhood Opportunity Grants are required to propose "place-based" strategies for addressing an identified "neighborhood need." The following resources are provided for those who want to learn more about place-based strategies:

Building Neighborhoods of Opportunity, White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative

White House Memo on Developing Effective Place-Based Strategies

The White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative

Voices from the Field III: Lessons and Challenges from Two Decades of Community Change Efforts

Improving the Outcomes of Place-Based Initiatives Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Going Comprehensive: Anatomy of an Initiative that Worked

Next Generation Community Revitalization: A Work in Progress

Providence RISES
Applicants submitting proposals that incorporate job training/workforce development should be based upon the Providence RISES model for workforce development training with contextualized literacy.

The following documents provide applicants an overview of the Providence RISES model:

Providence RISES Overview

From Initiative to System: Providence RISES

Green Building
Applications for facility renovation or new construction should incorporate energy efficiency, conservation, and environmentally sustainable "green building" practices.

The following is provided to assist applicants identify opportunities for incorporating green building practices:
Green Building 101

The City of Providence has made a commitment to developing "green & healthy housing" in the City.

Financial Empowerment/Financial Literacy
Research has consistently demonstrated the benefit to program participants of when they are provided the tools to increase their financial literacy and access appropriate, mainstream financial services.

The following resources are provided to assist applicants with developing strategies to incorporate financial empowerment and financial literacy:

www.bankonprovidence.org

Learn Earn Save Invest Framework

Learn Earn Save Invest Overview

National Financial Literacy Strategy

FDIC Money Smart Financial Education Program

Click here for the CDBG/ESG/HOME/HOPWA Grantee Resource Center

Healthy Communities & Community Development
The City of Providence has made a commitment to improve health outcomes for city residents and is implementing a broad array of strategies to address issues such as nutrition, food insecurity, access to quality food, addiction, and more. Community Development-funded programs should be aligned with the goals of the Healthy Communities Initiative when relevant and practicable. Scoring will reward those initiatives that maximize the potential health benefits of their programs.

To learn more about the City's commitment, visit: www.providenceri.com/healthy-communities

Community Development-funded programs should be aligned with the goals of the Healthy Communities Initiative when relevant and practicable. For example, organizations administering food or nutrition programs should display at least one USDA "My Plate" poster at every location where food is served. You can order posters and learn more about this program at:
www.choosemyplate.gov.

The City's Healthy Communities Office can assist with obtaining materials.

Organizations administering food or nutrition programs should align their food service programs with 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, available at: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp

Food programs should not offer sugar-sweetened beverages.
In the coming months we will work with funding recipients to design the standards and guidelines to integrate and implement Healthy Community goals in Community Development-funded organizations during the July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014 Program Year. This guidance, and technical assistance to achieve these standards, will be in place for the new Program Year.

Out of School Time and Early Childhood Learning
The City of Providence has made and is continuing to make a major commitment to expand and improve quality after-school, summer, and other expanded learning opportunities for the youth of Providence. Organizations considering proposing activities in this area should align their work with the in-place efforts supported by the City and must implement the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment Tool (RIPQA). Organizations can learn more about this via the following links:

www.mypasa.org
mypasa.org (Booklet PDF.pdf)
www.mypasa.org (RIPQA One pager.pdf)
afterschoolri.org

Additionally, organizations proposing early learning initiatives must:
• Participate in the BrightStars quality rating and improvement system, and have a two-star rating or higher at the time of application
www.earlylearningri.org/bright-stars

• Use Rhode Island's Comprehensive Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards
www.earlylearningri.org/standards-sub

• Use the Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment system



Additional Guidance on CDBG Regulations
The City's Community Development programs are funded and governed by federal regulations. The following resources will help applicants better understand and align your proposal with these rules.

As you read these materials it is important to note that the City of Providence is deemed the "Grantee" and organizations receiving CDBG funding are identified as "Subrecipients." This is a crucial distinction and failure to keep that in mind could make these materials very confusing.

Playing by the Rules: A Handbook for CDBG Subrecipients on Administrative Systems
This handbook is intended for CDBG subrecipients. The handbook is designed to help subrecipients understand the administrative requirements that apply to the use of Federal funds for the delivery of CDBG programs and activities. Topics covered include: financial management, procurement and contracting, property management and disposition, record-keeping and reporting requirements, other administrative and program requirements, audits, closeout.
www.onecpd.info

Desk Guide to National Objectives & Eligible Activities for Entitlement Communities
This resource is written as a guide for cities like the City of Providence to assist in administering the CDBG program. It is not written for a general audience or for grantees, but it is a very helpful resource and provides insight into the rules and regulations with the City's grants must comply.
www.onecpd.info

New On-Line Resource: OneCPD Resource Exchange
The OneCPD Resource Exchange website will provide a one-stop shop for resources, updates, and information related to all CPD programs. It is primarily a resource for cities like the City of Providence to assist in administering the CDBG program, but there is information here which can assist organizations considering an application and for those managing funded programs.
www.onecpd.info

CDBG Regulations
The CDBG regulations are available on-line. Note, like all regulations, these are highly technical, precise, and not really "user-friendly." The resources listed above provide explanations, examples, and guidance to help subrecipients and grantees adhere to the regulations, but for those who want to read the regulations themselves, they can be accessed via this link:
www.ecfr.gov

Last Updated on January 15, 2013