Jobs Plus NOFO for Fiscal Year 2025

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through its Office of Public and Indian Housing, is offering the Fiscal Year 2025 Jobs Plus NOFO (FR-6900-N-14). This discretionary federal grant provides competitive awards to public housing authorities (PHAs) to implement place-based programs designed to increase employment and earnings among public housing residents. The program emphasizes three core components: employment-related services, financial rent incentives, and community support for work. HUD’s overarching goal is to saturate targeted public housing projects with employment resources and supports, ensuring residents are well-positioned to achieve sustainable economic self-sufficiency beyond the life of the grant. The FY 2025 Jobs Plus program makes approximately $21.6 million available, including $15 million from FY 2025 appropriations and $6.6 million of remaining FY 2024 funds. HUD anticipates making about 15 awards, with individual award sizes based on the number of non-elderly households in the targeted development. Funding ranges from $1.6 million for developments with 100–199 non-elderly households to $3.7 million for developments with 600 or more. The performance period is 54 months, with the first 6 months as a start-up phase followed by 48 months of implementation. Eligible activities include staffing and program administration, provision of employment-related services, job development, case management, community coaching, technical assistance, and related program supports. HUD prohibits the use of grant funds for physical improvements beyond minimal accessibility modifications, indirect costs, or activities carried out before the award date. Only PHAs that operate eligible public housing projects meeting specific size and unemployment criteria may apply. Projects must have at least 100 non-elderly households, with at least 40 percent of such households reporting no earned income. Federally recognized tribes and tribally designated housing entities are not eligible. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver the Jobs Plus model, partner with the local Workforce Development Board/American Job Center (mandatory), and secure matching contributions equal to at least 25 percent of the requested grant amount. Matching contributions may be cash or in-kind and must align with program goals. At least three categories of workforce support partners are required, such as community colleges, childcare providers, transportation services, or employers committed to hiring participants. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov, with all required forms, narratives, budgets, maps, MOUs, match commitment letters, and other attachments. Key required narratives address capacity, need, and soundness of approach, adhering to page limits of 4, 5, and 20 pages respectively. The application package must also include a program schedule, budget narrative, and signed MOU with the Workforce Development Board/AJC. Applications must meet all threshold requirements, including eligibility, match minimums, and civil rights compliance, to proceed to merit review. HUD will score proposals based on capacity, need, soundness of approach, match/leverage, and preference points, with soundness of approach carrying the most weight. The application deadline is October 27, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. HUD anticipates making awards by December 30, 2025, with performance beginning January 1, 2026, and ending July 1, 2030. HUD encourages applicants to register early in SAM.gov and Grants.gov, as registration processes can take several weeks. Questions about the program should be directed to JobsPlus@hud.gov. Interested applicants may subscribe to HUD’s Funding Opportunities listserv for updates. All program implementation must adhere to HUD-approved schedules and requirements for outreach, engagement, and data tracking.