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What's New on Codetalk

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Dear Tribal Leader Letter- National Rollout of Grants Evaluation and Management System (GEMS)

On August 18th, ONAP published a Dear Tribal Leader letter announcing that effective Thursday, September 14, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, the Energy and Performance Information Center (EPIC) will no longer be available for ONAP programs. 

Additionally, on Monday, September 25, 2023, GEMS will be available in all ONAP regions. Grantees will be able to access and fill out key documents in GEMS including: Indian Housing Plans (IHPs); Annual Performance Reports (APRs); and Grant Agreements for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) formula program; and Federal Financial Report (SF-425s) for all ONAP programs including IHBG, Indian Community Development Block Grant, and Tribal HUD-VA Supportive Housing, as well as the Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency program. 

Read the full Dear Tribal Leader letter here: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/DTL_GEMS_Rollout.pdf 

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Vacancy Announcement- Supervisory Grants Evaluation Specialist, GS-14

Location: Chicago, IL.

Open: September 20, 2023
Closes: September 29, 2023

As a Supervisory Grants Evaluation Specialist, you will:

• Plan and supervise the technical functions and administrative duties of the AO Grants Evaluation Specialists.
• Monitor and evaluate performance of AO Grants Evaluation Division personnel.
• Consult with the AO Administrator, Program and National Offices and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Programs with respect to program issues and resource needs.
• Coordinate administrative issues with the AO Administrator and Field Office Administrative Division.
• Provide accurate and timely reporting.
• Provide on-going assistance to AO Administrator in resolving Division grievances, reviewing, and approving disciplinary actions of Division staff, managing travel, staff, and equipment resources, and identifying skills gaps and training needs of Division staff.
• Allocate the Division staffing and resources appropriately to meet demands of the grant's evaluation workload assigned to the Division.
• Monitor the workload of the Division and utilizes the Virtual Office and the support of the OGE to adjust resources and staff to workload fluctuations.
• Supervise the technical assistance efforts to Indian tribes and TDHEs by directing and monitoring the Division's responses to questions concerning compliance requirements, and the development of tailored packages to address specific needs.
• Coordinate all technical assistance efforts with the AO Grants Administration Division Director.

Apply Now

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Vacancy Announcement- Grants Evaluation Specialist, GS-9/11/12

Locations: 

• Anchorage, AK
• Chicago, IL
• Denver, CO

Open: September 14, 2023
Closes: September 27, 2023

As a Grants Evaluation Specialist, you will:

• Implement national policies, standards, procedures and guidelines with regard to the monitoring and evaluation of all applicable programs.
• Provide guidance to Indian tribes and Tribally-Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) regarding the interpretation and application of grants evaluation program policies and procedures.
• Participate as individual or member of functional team to conduct targeted compliance assessments of specific TDHEs using diagnosis, problem analysis and resolution, and follow-up.
• Provide technical assistance to TDHEs by responding to inquiries, disseminating relevant information, identifying needs, and assisting in the development of tailored packages to address those needs.
• Provide feedback to the Division Director regarding the effectiveness of current policies and procedures in meeting ONAP objectives and the unique concerns of assigned Indian communities.

Apply Now

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Treasury Interim Final Rule on Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF)

On August 9, 2023, Treasury released a new Interim Final Rule that illustrates how recipient governments can use their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) for natural disasters, community development, and surface transportation projects. The new rule implements the Cornyn-Padilla amendment which allows the big Treasury funding to be used for a broader set of infrastructure activities, including Indian Community Development Block Grant  (ICDBG) eligible activities.  This is important because it allows for Treasury COVID funding that got allocated to Tribes to be used immediately for infrastructure purposes, including any ICDBG eligible activities and Disaster relief activities, instead of COVID-related activities. 

Please note that the Rule includes a requirement that the funding may not supplant any ICDBG funding.  This funding must supplement, but not supplant ICDBG projects (as opposed to replacing current ICDBG funding for active projects that HUD already funds with Treasury funding).

For overall information about the program, please see the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds website. For general questions, please email SLFRF@treasury.gov. 

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Mark your Calendars!  National Tribal Housing Summit - October 31 - November 2, 2023 - St. Paul, MN

ONAP is pleased to announce that our National Tribal Housing Summit will take place October 31 - November 2, 2023 at the Intercontinental Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul, MN. This three-day learning and networking opportunity includes 60 breakout sessions, tradeshow, and community activities. Daily plenary sessions feature remarks from local and tribal leaders and talks by partners in housing and community development. Final registration, hotel info, and an agenda-at-a-glance are located on the event website.  We look forward to seeing you there!

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Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Tribal Consultation on the President’s FY 2025 Budget

OMB is hosting a Tribal consultation virtually on September 27, 2023, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET to provide input to inform the formulation of the President’s FY 2025 Budget. The purpose of this Tribal consultation is for you or your designees to share your views with OMB Leadership on the funding needs for services, programs and activities serving and benefitting Tribal governments, organizations and communities as part of the President’s FY 2025 Budget process. Registration is available at https://pitc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_DOALcoESQwa7Y6SEpKHZpA. If you are unable to participate in the virtual session and would like to submit written comments and recommendations, please submit comments via email by Friday, September 29, 2023, to tribalconsultation@omb.eop.gov.

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DOE Tribal Allocation Formula for the Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Programs

The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced its allocation formula for the $225 million Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program, funding energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades for Tribal households. This notice provides the tentative allocation formula developed by the DOE to distribute funds to Tribes, as well as the allocation amounts and data used to calculate allocations. DOE is proposing to use HUD’s FY23 Indian Housing Block Grant Allocation Formula to distribute funding to Tribes, with some modifications. HUD strongly encourages Tribes to submit comments to DOE on this proposed allocation method.This is a new program funded under the Inflation Reduction Act and will provide significant assistance to many Tribal families.

Public comment will be accepted through September 15. More information is available here.

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ICDBG Regulations Tribal Consultation Comment Deadline Extended to 1/30/2024

As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to start the rulemaking process to update the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program regulations (24 CFR 1003). In accordance with HUD’s Tribal Consultation Policy, the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) is seeking Tribal feedback on these regulations, which have not been updated in nearly two decades.

While HUD welcomes comments regarding all aspects of the ICDBG program and regulations, it is particularly interested in receiving feedback on the following areas:

• Eligible and ineligible activities (24 CFR 1003.201);
• Area ONAP allocations of ICDBG funds (24 CFR 1003.101);
• Compliance with the primary objective (24 CFR 1003.208);
• Rating factors included in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (24 CFR 103.303);
• ICDBG Imminent Threat Grants (24 CFR 1003 subpart E); and
• Reporting requirements (24 CFR 1003.506).

Comments can be submitted via email to consultation@hud.gov. Please submit all comments by January 30, 2024. Formal Tribal consultation sessions are forthcoming and will be announced soon.

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Section 184 Program Approved Program Area Expansion and 2023 Section 184 Maximum Loan Limits for the newly approved areas

On August 1, 2023, HUD issued Dear Lender Letter 2023-06 (DLL) titled “Updates to the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee (Section 184) Program Eligible Lending Areas and 2023 Section 184 Program Maximum Loan Limits.”  The DLL announced the expansion of the Section 184 program into 23 counties in Tennessee and 14 counties in Texas.  Additionally, the DLL announced the 2023 Maximum Loan Limits for the newly approved counties. HUD expanded the Approved Program Areas after receiving requests from two Tribes as a result of DLL 2023-03.

The newly approved counties in Tennessee are Bedford, Blount, Campbell, Cocke, Crockett, Davidson, Dyer, Giles, Haywood, Knox, Lake, Lauderdale, Maury, Monroe, Montgomery, Obion, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Tipton, Tousdale, Wilson, and Williamson. The new counties in Texas are Bowie, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Harris, Johnson, Lamar, Montgomery, Red River, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson.

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Dear Tribal Leader - Deadline for New Veterans Benefits

Last year, President Biden signed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act), the most significant expansion of benefits and services for veteran exposed to toxins in more than 30 years.  Although veterans can apply for new PACT Act benefits at any time, veterans who apply or who submit their “Intent to File” by August 9th, can receive retroactive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022 – the day that President Biden signed the PACT Act into law.  For more information, please visit the PACT Act information page.

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DOI announces $120M funding through Tribal Climate Resilience Annual Awards Program

The Tribal Climate Resilience Annual Awards Program provides funding to build climate resilience capacity. In FY2023, TCR will make $120 million ($25M from BIL, $72M from IRA, $25M from FY 2023 annual appropriations) available for Tribes and tribal organizations to address the unique impacts of climate change affecting vulnerable tribal communities. This is by far the largest amount of annual funding made available in the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Climate Resilience Annual Awards Program. Grants will be available for planning (max $250,000) and implementation (max $4,000,000).

Key Dates: Application deadline is 7:59 pm Alaska Daylight Time/ 11:59 pm Midnight Eastern Daylight Time, October 13, 2023

Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS Act funding opportunities

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Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Grant Program

The Department of Transportation is accepting applications for the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant (NAE) Program. Tribes are eligible to apply. The NAE Program provides $3.2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds for projects that improve walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access and address existing transportation barriers, especially in disadvantaged or underserved communities. The program also provides funding for planning and capacity building activities in disadvantaged or underserved communities, and funding for technical assistance to local governments to facilitate effective planning for surface transportation projects. View the NAE Program page for more information about eligible projects, facilities, and recipients.

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Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) NOFO Release

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released the Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program, with up to $3.16 billion available for planning and construction projects. Tribes are eligible to apply. This RCN NOFO is a combination of two major discretionary grant opportunities: The Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Programs. USDOT has combined these two programs into a single NOFO to provide a more efficient application process for project sponsors. The RCN NOFO is now soliciting grant applications for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot discretionary grant program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and for the newly created Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant program, established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Under the combined RCN Program, USDOT is offering three grant types: Community Planning Grants, Capital Construction Grants, and Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants. 

The NOFO can be found on Grants.gov.  Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval (links below). To apply, the three grant programs have been split into two application sites:  

1. Community Planning Grants and Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants with Planning Activities 
2. Capital Construction Grants and Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants with Construction Activities  

USDOT has created a joint RCN website with additional information and will be hosting several informational webinars for prospective grant applicants in the following weeks. Please visit Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program | US Department of Transportation to subscribe and learn more.

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Program Guidance 2023-01- Income Limits for the IHBG program under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996

HUD Notice PDR-2023-01, published May 15, 2023, contains the methods used to calculate the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Fair Market Rents (FMR) and enumerates the procedures for interested parties to request reevaluations of their FMRs. The FY 2023 FMRs are based on the updated metropolitan area definitions published by the Office of Management and Budget on September 14, 2018, and incorporated by the Census Bureau into the 2021 American Community Survey data. The FMRs are used to establish Median Family Income (MFI) limits for the IHBG program.

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Dear Tribal Leader Letter- Indian Community Development Block Grant- Notice of Funding Opportunity

On June 22, 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the FY 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program (FR-6700-N-23). 

The NOFO announced the availability of approximately $75 million to eligible Tribes and Tribal organizations for the development of viable American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the creation of decent housing, suitable living environments, and economic opportunities primarily for people with low- and moderate-incomes.

View the Dear Tribal Leader Letter for addtional information.

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Solar for All EPA NOFO

On June 28, 2023, EPA released the $7 billion Solar for All Notice of Funding Opportunity. Through this competition, Solar for All will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits for the implementation and expansion of clean, affordable solar energy in low-income housing. The program is designed to combat environmental injustice by supporting equitable climate resilience efforts in residential properties. The application, along with optional supplemental materials to assist with planning, is available on grants.gov. NOFO # EOA-R-HQ-SFA-23-01

All interested applicants are required to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to apply to this competition. The deadline for Tribal Governments and Intertribal Consortia to submit the Notice of Intent is August 28, 2023. The Final Deadline is September 26, 2023.

Informational Webinar

EPA’s Solar for All competition hosted an informational webinar to provide information on the Solar for All grant competition and the application process on July 12, 2023, 1:00pm – 3:00pm ET. The webinar was recorded and is posted on EPA’s GGRF webpage.

Tools and resources for prospective grantees, including webinar links and helpful templates, can be found on EPA’s GGRF webpage. More information about the Solar for All NOFO is available at: https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/solar-all

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Dear Tribal Leader Letter- Tribal Consultation- Indian Community Development Block Grant Program Regulations

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to start the rulemaking process to update the Indian Community Development Block
Grant (ICDBG) program regulations (24 CFR 1003). In accordance with HUD’s Tribal Consultation Policy, the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) is  seeking Tribal feedback on these regulations, which have not been updated in nearly two decades.

While HUD welcomes comments regarding all aspects of the ICDBG program and regulations, it is particularly interested in receiving feedback on the following areas:

• Eligible and ineligible activities (24 CFR 1003.201);
• Area ONAP allocations of ICDBG funds (24 CFR 1003.101);
• Compliance with the primary objective (24 CFR 1003.208);
• Rating factors included in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (24 CFR 103.303);
• ICDBG Imminent Threat Grants (24 CFR 1003 subpart E); and
• Reporting requirements (24 CFR 1003.506).

Comments can be submitted via email to consultation@hud.gov. Please submit all comments by August 28, 2023. Formal Tribal consultation sessions are  forthcoming and will be announced at a later date.

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Dear Lender Letter 2023-05: Section 184 Fee Reduction Notice

DLL 2023-05 announces reduction in fees charged to homebuyers who obtain a Section 184 Indian Home (Section 184) loan. The Upfront Loan Guarantee fee will be reduced from 1.50 percent to 1.00 percent and the Annual Loan Guarantee fee will be reduced from 0.25 percent to 0.00 percent for homebuyers seeking a Section 184 guaranteed loan. In addition to providing savings to borrowers, the lower fees can help more people qualify for a mortgage. As a result of the fee reductions, a Section 184 borrower purchasing a $194,000 home will save approximately $500 this year and up to $6,800 over the term of the loan.

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Treasury’s ERA Reporting page for Tribes, TDHEs, and DHH

 

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Current as of September 21, 2023

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