The United States Department of Housing & Urban Development has a new grant opportunity available through its office of Policy Development and Research. The grant opportunity is under the Eviction Protection Grant Program.

The most recent Census Pulse data suggest over 7.4 million renters are behind on the rent and fear of eviction is on the rise. Evictions have consequences for tenants and landlords alike, but research suggests that successful eviction diversion programs benefit tenants, landlords, and courts.

The Eviction Protection Grant Program will support experienced legal service providers in providing legal assistance at no cost to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction. Grant funds are available to non-profit or governmental entities providing legal services in areas with high rates of eviction or prospective evictions, including rural areas.

Eligible entities include public defender offices or associations, law school clinical programs, state bar associations, and legal service and legal aid organizations.

The objective of the Eviction Protection Grant Program is to help individuals and families – including people of color who are disproportionately represented among those evicted, people with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities – avoid eviction or minimize the disruption and damage caused by the eviction process.

Grantees will also participate in research conducted by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) and will be expected to collect and submit data on services provided and associated outcomes. PD&R is anticipating making 10 to 20 awards of $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 each, with a total of $20,000,000 in grant funds available.

For more information and to submit an application, please see the following:

• HUD's Notice of Funding Availability (NOFO)
• Grants.gov (for registering and submitting an application)

The deadline to submit an application is September 8, 2021.