HOPE VI Main Street Grant Program | FR 6200 N 03

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6200 N 03

The HOPE VI Main Street Grant Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to help small communities revitalize older downtowns and traditional "Main Street" business districts by turning underused building space into affordable housing. Instead of focusing on large-scale redevelopment, the program targets the kinds of vacant or outdated upper floors and obsolete commercial areas that often sit empty in historic downtown buildings. The core idea is to bring residents back into the center of town in a way that supports local businesses, preserves older structures, and strengthens ongoing downtown renewal efforts.

The program has several connected goals. First, it aims to redevelop central business districts by encouraging new housing activity in areas that may have lost foot traffic or economic energy over time. Second, it supports preservation of historic or traditional Main Street properties by promoting reuse of existing structures rather than demolition or abandonment, specifically by replacing unused commercial space with affordable residential units. Third, it is meant to complement and enhance local economic development strategies already underway in Main Street areas, recognizing that added residents can support shops, services, and street-level activity. Finally, it increases the supply of affordable housing located in walkable, centrally located neighborhoods where residents may have better access to jobs, services, and transportation.

HOPE VI Main Street funds can be used for housing-focused redevelopment activities, including building new affordable housing units or reconfiguring obsolete or surplus commercial space into affordable housing. The program also allows conversion of extremely substandard, vacant housing into affordable units, which can help address blight while keeping the overall character of the district intact. At the same time, the program draws a clear line around what it will not fund: the grant money cannot be used for general infrastructure improvements or for commercial development projects. In other words, the dollars are intended to directly produce affordable housing units, not to pay for broader downtown public works or to subsidize retail or business build-outs.

A key requirement is affordability. The housing units created must be affordable to the initial residents who move into the project, consistent with the program's use restriction requirements described in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). This makes the program different from purely market-rate downtown housing initiatives, since it is specifically structured to ensure the first occupants benefit from below-market affordability standards tied to HUD rules.

Eligibility is aimed at local governments in smaller communities that are already engaged in Main Street revitalization. Eligible applicants include units of local government such as county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments. The NOFA indicates that applicants must meet population and public housing unit limits described in the eligibility section, and the funding is meant to support communities that have existing Main Street area rejuvenation projects rather than those starting from scratch. This emphasis suggests HUD is looking for places where the grant can accelerate a plan that is already in motion and where there is a clear local commitment to downtown redevelopment.

From the funding details provided, the opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number FR 6200 N 03 and CFDA 14.878, with grant awards capped at an award ceiling of $500,000. HUD anticipated making 2 awards under this round. The opportunity was created on May 14, 2019, and originally closed on July 30, 2019, with electronically submitted applications due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted tool for small communities to convert vacant or outdated downtown space into affordable homes, while reinforcing preservation and economic activity in traditional Main Street districts.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HOPE VI Main Street Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.878.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 14, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2019 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments.

Apply for FR 6200 N 03

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