FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM PRIVATE ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program – Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support private, nonprofit organizations in investigating and enforcing violations of the Fair Housing Act and comparable state or local laws. The program aims to combat discriminatory housing practices across public and private real estate markets, including rental, sales, lending, and advertising activities, through testing, complaint intake, systemic investigations, mediation, litigation, and public advocacy. Organizations awarded under this initiative must conduct activities that address entrenched or institutionalized discrimination, with a focus on expanding services in unserved or underserved communities. The grant award period is 36 months, structured as three consecutive 12-month periods, with funding for subsequent periods subject to future congressional appropriations. Applicants must begin performance within six months of the notice of award and adhere to strict reporting and financial accountability standards, including quarterly submissions of the SF-425 Financial Status Report and performance reports through LOCCS, as well as final outcome tracking using HUD-904 series forms. To be eligible, applicants must maintain an active SAM.gov registration and valid Unique Entity Identifier, submit all required certifications including the SF-424, HUD-424-B, and SF-LLL, and demonstrate nonprofit status. Proposals are evaluated through a merit-based process with a minimum score of 75 points required to advance, with weightings distributed across organizational capacity (36 points), soundness of approach (30 points), extent of the problem (19 points), and results measurement (15 points), plus up to four preference points for Minority Serving Institutions, Promise Zones, or Opportunity Zones. Proposals must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 21, 2025, with strict formatting requirements including double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman text and adherence to page limits for narrative sections. Failure to maintain a “good” annual performance rating may result in funding reductions or rescission. Grantees must comply with numerous federal statutes and regulations, including the Build America, Buy America Act, prohibitions on certain surveillance technologies, accessibility standards under the ADA and Section 504, Violence Against Women Act provisions, Trafficking Victims Protection Act requirements, and drug-free workplace mandates. All funding requests require accompanying financial and progress reports, and program income generation must be disclosed and approved by HUD’s Grant Officer and Technical Representative.