HUD MAKES $26.3 MILLION AVAILABLE TO FIGHT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that more than $26 million in grants are available to investigate allegations of housing discrimination and to educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. The grants are being offered through Grants.gov.

"These grants help make combating housing discrimination a national priority," said John Trasviña, HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing Equal Opportunity. "Advancing equal opportunity in housing is hard work and demands an unprecedented level of collaboration, cooperation, and communication between HUD, and its local partners. These grants will support our partners who are on the front lines of protecting the fair housing rights of all Americans."

The funding is allocated to three initiatives:

• Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) - to investigate and enforce alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act and State and local laws that are substantially equivalent to the Act, and to help combat alleged mortgage rescue scams.
  
  
• Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) - to educate the public and housing providers about their rights and obligations under Federal, State, and local fair housing laws.
  
  
• Fair Housing Organization Initiative (FHOI) - to build the capacity or to establish new fair housing enforcement organizations to assist the implementation of initiatives which enforce the rights granted under the Fair Housing Act, to include fair lending enforcement.

Applicants for this funding may be fair housing groups or organizations, or other private nonprofit groups, organizations or private entities formulating or conducting fair housing programs. Applications are available through grants.gov. The application provides all necessary submittal instructions including a mandatory requirement to submit proposals electronically through the Grants.gov website, and specific requirements for requesting a waiver from this process. The deadline for receiving grant applications is 11:59 p.m. eastern time, September 18, 2009.

This year, HUD is announcing individual funding opportunities for programs as they become available, an action that will speed up the application process for those seeking HUD funding and who would otherwise be required to wait for the publication of HUD's comprehensive funding notice for all its competitive grant programs.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.