HUD Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program | FR 6100 N 06

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6100 N 06

The HUD Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program is a national HUD initiative that funds organizations to deliver hands-on technical assistance (TA) and capacity building to HUD grantees, subgrantees, and other program partners dealing with housing and community development work. Through this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), HUD announced about $56 million to support this effort. The basic idea is straightforward: many communities struggle not because they lack funding, but because HUD programs are complex, compliance expectations are high, and local systems and staffing capacity vary widely. Community Compass is meant to close that gap by helping recipients strengthen their knowledge, skills, tools, internal controls, data systems, and management practices so they can implement HUD programs correctly and keep strong performance going over time.

A major feature of Community Compass is that it is designed as an integrated, cross-program technical assistance platform rather than a series of isolated TA efforts. HUD recognizes that the same local government, housing authority, or nonprofit often touches multiple HUD programs at once (for example, a city may administer CDBG and HOME while also coordinating homelessness planning through the CoC). Community Compass pulls together technical assistance funding and priorities across several HUD offices, including Community Planning and Development (CPD), Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), Housing, and Public and Indian Housing (PIH). That pooled approach is intended to let TA providers address problems that cut across programs in a single engagement, such as financial management, reporting systems, fair housing requirements, environmental reviews, disaster resilience, or coordinated planning. While the program is centrally managed by HUD Headquarters, HUD’s regional, field, and area offices are involved, which signals that TA assignments are expected to be responsive to real-time local needs identified in the field.

The NOFA is structured around a set of TA focus areas, and HUD explicitly notes that categories often overlap and that assignments can extend beyond the listed topics as emerging priorities arise. One large category is affordable housing, mixed finance development, and homeownership. Within that bucket, HUD highlights support for HOME program implementation (including IDIS reporting and financial management), recapitalization and preservation work such as RAD, and place-based redevelopment efforts like Choice Neighborhoods and HOPE VI. HUD also emphasizes housing counseling oversight and capacity building, Housing Trust Fund implementation, and strategies for leveraging additional funding and managing subsidy layering, which is a common challenge when projects combine multiple federal, state, and private sources.

Another major category centers on community and economic development and disaster resilience. This includes TA for core CPD tools like CDBG, including help with local income survey design and even pilot testing of new tools. It also includes substantial emphasis on CDBG Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) launch and program management, National Disaster Resilience-related implementation support, and Section 108 loan guarantee assistance. Beyond these specific programs, HUD calls out broader planning and resilience needs such as consolidated planning (including the e-Con Planning Suite), comprehensive neighborhood revitalization that ties together workforce and business development, health and human services, broadband and infrastructure improvements, and resource leveraging across federal agencies and the private sector. HUD also highlights rural and tribal economic development approaches, green infrastructure, vulnerability and hazard risk assessment, and innovative financing methods for resilient infrastructure (for example, green bonds, catastrophe bonds, and value capture). Practical grants-management system support is also built in, including IDIS, DRGR, and e-snaps, along with attention to infrastructure designs that address both sudden shocks and chronic stresses. The category also references Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), reflecting HUD’s view that fair housing planning can intersect with community development and resilience investments.

Homelessness is a dedicated focus area with very detailed priorities. HUD seeks TA to strengthen Continuums of Care, including governance and system performance measurement, as well as ESG implementation. The NOFA points to coordinated entry, HMIS data quality and management, and targeted assistance for key subpopulations such as people experiencing chronic homelessness, veterans, families with children, youth, and survivors of domestic violence. HUD also prioritizes help with strategic resource allocation, lowering barriers to CoC resources, and scaling practices like rapid rehousing and Housing First, including retooling transitional housing models when needed. The program also anticipates supporting underperforming CoC recipients, subrecipients, or specific projects. Disaster preparedness is included here too, focusing on how McKinney-Vento funded programs can maintain services during disasters and conduct recovery and rehousing efforts afterward, with e-snaps identified as a core system.

Related but distinct, HUD includes a National Homeless Data Analysis Project focus area. This is more analytics-heavy and is aimed at strengthening the data infrastructure used to track progress toward HUD’s strategic homelessness objectives and the federal Opening Doors strategy. Priorities include operating and supporting HMIS-related capacity such as the HMIS Data Lab, improving disaster preparedness and recovery assistance tied to HMIS data (for example, analyzing pre- and post-disaster demographics and needs, planning outreach strategies for unsheltered populations, tracking disaster impacts on homelessness, and connecting people to compensation and disaster-related resources). It also includes producing the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) Parts 1 and 2, redesigning AHAR data collection and technology, and developing and rolling out training curricula for HMIS leads and system administrators.

Public housing operations and programs are another core area, with TA aimed at improving the basic health and performance of public housing agencies (PHAs). HUD highlights financial management and procurement protocols, governance improvements (board and management practices), partnership development, and possible organizational restructuring. Other topics include asset management, development methods and capital improvements, low-cost high-speed internet access, energy performance contracts, Housing Choice Voucher program support, Physical Needs Assessments, and PHA repositioning and regional planning. There is also an explicit emphasis on recovering and preventing at-risk or troubled PHAs through internal controls, financial and governance training, program operations support, and development assistance. The NOFA references operating and capital fund grant administration, self-sufficiency programs, PHA plans, MTW, disaster resilience, green development, physical inspections, mixed finance, and AFH. Separate from general PHA support, HUD also sets aside a category for recovery of PHAs in HUD administrative receivership, focusing on recovery TA for agencies under receivership conditions.

Native American housing and community development is addressed through two related areas that largely revolve around NAHASDA programs and tribal housing systems. HUD identifies TA for Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) and NAHASDA implementation, and also points to specialized support needs such as negotiated rulemaking and consultation support, administration of the NAHASDA allocation formula, Title VI loan leveraging, Section 184 loan guarantee work, Tribal HUD-VASH, and ICDBG. This highlights that HUD wants TA providers who understand both the program rules and the government-to-government context in which tribal housing entities operate.

Supportive housing and services is another set of priorities that spans several HUD program lines and target populations. HUD lists HUD-VASH (including VASH data collection), HOPWA, and supportive housing for older adults and people with disabilities, including Section 202 and Section 811 programs (and Section 811 PRA). HUD also calls out needs like documenting capital needs backlogs in the Section 202 portfolio, supporting Multifamily Housing Service Coordinators, and implementing preferences such as homeless preferences in project-based Section 8 where applicable. Workforce and self-sufficiency efforts are included as well, including FSS programs paired with ROSS-SC, the Jobs Plus initiative, and even WIOA implementation and regional mobility programs, signaling that HUD expects TA to bridge housing stability with employment pathways and access to opportunity.

HUD also identifies a policy development and research category focused on data collection and quality for LIHTC tenants and projects. While narrower than the other categories, it underscores HUD’s interest in improving the reliability and usefulness of housing data in contexts where HUD programs intersect with other major housing finance systems like LIHTC.

Finally, the NOFA emphasizes fair housing, energy and environment, relocation, and other cross-cutting requirements, which are often the make-or-break issues in HUD program compliance. Topics include VAWA implementation, Section 3 compliance, disability access requirements under Section 504 and ADA/UFAS, and relocation requirements under URA and Section 104(d). Environmental review capacity is explicitly prioritized, including NEPA and related requirements like the National Historic Preservation Act, floodplain management (Executive Order 11988), and contamination policies. HUD also points to energy and sustainability support such as benchmarking and utility data analysis using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, energy efficiency retrofits for assisted housing, and green operations and maintenance. There is also an emphasis on helping grantees implement new federal rules, regulations, notices, and program requirements, plus knowledge management through HUD Exchange. Additional cross-cutting items called out include smoke-free housing and specific RAD notices related to fair housing, civil rights, and relocation, along with Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements under 24 CFR 5.150 and following.

On the funding and administration side, this is a discretionary opportunity using cooperative agreements, meaning HUD expects substantial federal involvement during performance (often through collaboration, direction on assignments, and iterative deliverables rather than a simple pass-through grant). The opportunity is listed under CFDA 14.259. HUD anticipated around 20 awards, with an award ceiling of $20,000,000. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and local governments; special districts; public and state-controlled colleges and universities; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit statuses); private institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations (including small businesses); and other entities as clarified in the NOFA. Applicants are encouraged to build teams using subcontractors and consultants to cover the wide range of HUD program expertise and specialized skill areas Community Compass requires. The original posting shows an application deadline of September 28, 2017, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date, which is important context if you are using this as a reference point for later Community Compass rounds rather than as an open competition.

Overall, Community Compass is best understood as HUD’s main vehicle for deploying expert, targeted technical assistance across the housing and community development ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on improving compliance, performance, and long-term capacity across multiple HUD programs at once. It is not primarily a direct service grant to run housing programs; it is a funding stream for organizations that can coach, troubleshoot, train, analyze data, strengthen systems, and help communities implement HUD requirements effectively, especially where complexity, risk, or emerging priorities demand rapid and coordinated support.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HUD Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.259.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 14, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 28, 2017 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 $20,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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