The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, announced that it will award $4.9 million to 32 local nonprofit housing organizations to provide direct relief and supportive services to keep renters in their affordable units in the wake of the economic instability caused by COVID-19.
"Given the urgent need for rent relief, the TD Charitable Foundation increased the total monetary amount of grants by 30%, from $3.75 million up to $4.9 million this year," says Paige Carlson-Heim, director of the Foundation.
Access to direct relief for renters, coupled with case management so that families have child care, access to social services, and connectivity to community resources will help stabilize renters through an unprecedented time, according to Carlson-Heim.
"The TD Charitable Foundation, through this year's Housing for Everyone competition, will help create a safety net across the diverse communities we serve from Maine to Florida,” she says.
The goal of this year's competition is to support nonprofits that either design or manage a rental relief program or enhance case management support for renters. The grants will fund programs that provide access to safe, clean, physically accessible and affordable rental housing units for families, individuals, the elderly, new Americans, veterans, the disabled, women, and youth.
Application Details
Grant applications will only be accepted through the TD Charitable Foundation's online application system and should be submitted by 4 p.m. (EST) Oct 30. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Notification of awards will be made by March 2021.
For additional information and the online application for the Housing for Everyone grant competition, visit the program's website.
Applications for funding must focus on:
- Direct Relief Funds and Supportive Services for Tenants/Families: This may include emergency assistance programs operated by the nonprofit organization managing the property to be benefited by the relief funds, or as an outside organization that facilitates payments directly to the property management company responsible for each unit receiving relief aid. Emergency assistance programs seeking to prevent families from entering eviction litigation are especially encouraged to apply. Wraparound/case management services designed to help families stay in their homes are also qualifying programs. Case management services could include (but are not limited to): working with families behind on rental payments to apply for other public benefits, connecting them with sustaining wage job opportunities, referring families to resources related to child care, health care, or other components critical to thriving in affordable housing.
- Special consideration will also be given to those initiatives that focus on energy efficiencies to be realized through foundation funding. Initiatives may also benefit from utilizing underused or abandoned properties.
Applications must meet the following guidelines:
- Applicant organization must be tax-exempt under IRS Code 501(c) (3) or must be a state/local government entity;
- Housing units or properties to be improved must be located in a TD Bank metro market area;
- Applicant organization must not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status, family status, veteran status, disability, or other characteristic protected by law;
- Applicant organization must have a history of developing, maintaining and/or providing affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families or individuals;
- Applicant organization must be able to show the impact it has made to affordable housing efforts in their community;
- Applicant organization must show fiscal responsibility and ongoing viability;
- All housing units or properties to be improved or developed must be for and occupied by low- and moderate-income families or individuals;
- Applicant organizations seeking funds for the rehabilitation of rental units must complete renovations to those units sometime during the period from the receipt of funds through December 2022;
- Applicant organization must be current on all outstanding debt obligations, utility payments, and taxes, there can be no unsatisfied judgments/liens for which the applicant is liable;
- Applicant organization must be able to quantify the impact of its proposed affordable housing project; and
- Applicant organization must not have any pending legal actions against it.
This marks the Foundation's 15th annual Housing for Everyone grant competition, awarding over $32 million to support approximately 500 affordable housing initiatives since the program's inception in 2005.
