Opportunity Zone Grant Certification Form

This collection is a new collection regarding information for preference points in certain competitive federal grants and technical assistance applications. In accordance with Executive Order 13853, Establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (“WHORC” or “Council”), signed by President Trump on December 12, 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has added preference points to grants in an effort to strategically target investment in communities designated as Opportunity Zones. To ensure that HUD’s resources are being used to further the mission of the Executive Order and the WHORC Implementation Plan (published April 17, 2019), HUD has drafted the proposed certification form. This form will certify that valuable HUD resources are in fact being targeted to and expended in America’s most economically distressed areas, including Opportunity Zones. Additionally, it will enable HUD to gather and analyze the most accurate data regarding the use of taxpayer funds; specifically, how they are being utilized by our grantee partners to support the President’s mission of revitalizing distressed communities. The collection of this information will help to guide the Department through future grant awards and inform HUD’s strategy to maximize non-profit and private sector investment. Additionally, pending approval of this form on HUD’s behalf, we anticipate that the following Agencies will also implement this form: Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, Labor, Transportation, Interior, Commerce, Energy, Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. Public and private investment in America’s historically overlooked communities will be used to increase the supply of affordable housing to bolster economic development, support entrepreneurship, promote neighborhood safety, and expand employment and educational opportunities. For more information about the mission of the WHORC and to learn about the activities and vision of the federal agencies that comprise the Council, visit https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Main/documents/WHORC-Implementation-Plan.pdf

The latest form for Opportunity Zone Grant Certification Form expires 2023-03-31 and can be found here.