Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis Research Grant Program

The Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis Research Grant Program, managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), is a discretionary funding opportunity that aims to deepen understanding of the housing affordability crisis in the United States and to inform actionable policy responses. This program offers support to institutions and organizations capable of conducting rigorous, policy-relevant research on key issues that impact housing affordability. HUD anticipates making cooperative agreements with award recipients, indicating substantial federal involvement in both the development and execution of funded projects. The program’s primary objective is to fund research within one of five defined categories: government-induced demand and housing affordability; immigration and housing affordability; the financialization of housing; economic opportunity costs associated with homeownership; and Opportunity Zones. Each category has specific research questions designed to explore systemic causes of the affordability crisis and to identify effective policy interventions. Funded research is expected to produce early findings within the first year of the grant to ensure timeliness and relevance to policymaking. Projects may have a period of performance between 12 and 36 months and must include annual deliverables. Approximately $10 million is available through this NOFO, which includes fiscal year 2024 and 2025 appropriations. HUD expects to make between 5 and 40 awards, with individual award sizes ranging from $250,000 to $2,000,000. No cost sharing or matching is required. Eligible applicants include a broad range of organizations such as institutions of higher education (both public and private), nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Individuals are not eligible to apply. Faith-based organizations are also eligible to apply on equal footing. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 28, 2025. The anticipated award date is September 15, 2025, with projects expected to start by October 1, 2025. Applicants must be registered with SAM.gov and Grants.gov at the time of application and throughout the award period. The application package must include standard forms (e.g., SF-424, HUD-2880), budget documents, and narrative attachments that respond to specific rating factors such as the contribution of the research, soundness of methodology, team capacity, project management, and budget reasonableness. Applications will undergo a threshold review, merit review, and risk review. Proposals must score at least 70 out of 100 possible points in the merit review to be considered for funding. Key deliverables required from awardees include an opening meeting with HUD, a management plan, quality control plan, quarterly progress reports, and a final report. Research must comply with HUD’s guidelines and reporting standards and must be suitable for public dissemination via HUD’s website. Final reports must be Section 508 compliant and of publication quality. The program encourages applications from HBCUs in alignment with Executive Orders promoting equity in federal funding opportunities. Questions about the program or the application process can be directed to Michael Stewart at researchpartnerships@hud.gov or 202-402-2258. For paper application waiver requests, contact Carol Gilliam at the same email or call 202-402-4354. Interested applicants should subscribe to HUD’s funding opportunities listserv and Grants.gov alerts for updates on this NOFO.

Submit early. Use NOFO checklist. Ensure Grants.gov and SAM.gov accounts are active and valid.