Major CDFI grant program announcements

A bunched group of announcements emerged this week from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. First of all, two new Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs): one for Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA), the other for the renamed "CDFI Program," a combined version of the former Financial Assistance and Technical Assistance grants -- from which, however, the Bank Enterprise Awards would appear to remain separate. A road-show series of "Information Sessions" are set for Dec. 12 through 19, with a satellite broadcast available Dec. 14.

More important, the agency has posted 55 pages of Revised Interim Regulations for the "CDFI Program," soon to appear formally in the Federal Register with a 60-day comment period. Additionally, the combined press release states the CDFI Fund has posted a new "amendment" to the Bank Enterprise Awards NOFA, but I admit not being able to find it on the BEA Program section of the site. (We'll pick it up when it hits the Federal Register of course, but in the meantime, could anyone else who spots an online edition of this "amendment" please drop us a note in Comments below?)

Application forms are already available; further application instructions are to be provided in January. In the "CDFI Program," applications will have to be filed by January 23, 2006 through the Grants.gov Web site, whose troubled handling of HUD's 2005 SuperNOFA programs underscores the official advice that "Applicants are encouraged to start the registration process now at www.grants.gov as the process may take several weeks to fully complete." The NACA deadline is Feb. 14, 2006.