You may have noticed something new when the CDFI Fund opened the FY 2018 application round for the Community Development Financial Institutions Program (CDFI Program) and Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program) on January 31, 2018.
As part of this year?s application process, the CDFI Fund is inviting applicants to compete for approximately $2.5 million in supplemental Disability Funds-Financial Assistance funding (DF-FA). This award is available to CDFIs that wish to expand their financing activities and services for persons with disabilities.
Many Americans with disabilities live in communities served by CDFIs. As mission-driven organizations, CDFIs are uniquely positioned to develop affordable financial services and products to address the challenges of individuals with disabilities, such as affordable, accessible, and safe housing; employment opportunities; or access to assistive products and services that support health and community living. The DF-FA awards will encourage deeper CDFI involvement in this essential space.
In order to apply for the FY 2018 supplemental funding, interested CDFIs must apply for FY 2018 Financial Assistance (FA) funding and include their DF-FA award request as part of their FA application. Once the FA application period ends on April 4, 2018, DF-FA applicants will complete a short questionnaire application provided by the CDFI Fund.
You can learn more about the DF-FA funding opportunity by reviewing the FY 2018 Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) for the CDFI Program and the NACA Program, and by checking out the CDFI Fund's issued guidance on the ?How to Apply? section of our website. For the FY 2018 round, Standard Form (SF)-424s must be submitted through Grants.gov by March 2, 2018, and the complete FY 2018 FA application for either the CDFI Program and/or the NACA Program must be submitted through the CDFI Fund's Awards Management Information System by April 4, 2018.
The CDFI Fund will also provide training opportunities for financial institutions interested in expanding or beginning new services for persons with disabilities. Stay tuned for more information later in 2018.
To learn more about the CDFI Program and NACA Program, please visit our website at www.cdfifund.gov/cdfi or www.cdfifund.gov/native.
