Community Housing Development Fund
The Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF), formerly referred to as the Housing Fund, is a joint effort of Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca and Cornell University. The Fund helps communities and organizations throughout Tompkins County respond to the diverse affordable housing needs of county residents. Projects must include units of affordable housing for low and moderate income households. The program was established in 2009 and is currently operating under a Memorandum of Understanding through 2027.
The Round 24 CHDF grant cycle is now open and taking applications until April 4, 2024.
See the Round 24 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for details on program eligibility, award process, and application process.
Grant applications must be submitted online through Common Grant Application. You can sign up for an account here. More information about how to use the Common Grant Application can be found in this brief video.
Members of the Tompkins County staff are on hand to answer questions concerning the program and to add those interested in future rounds to notification emails. If you have questions about the NOFA, please email us or call 607-274-5560.
Program Overview
The Community Housing Development Fund is designed to ensure that newly constructed or rehabilitated housing units remain affordable to successive buyers or renters. Permanent affordability is retained by such measures as income qualifying prospective buyers or renters and limiting the sales price or rent of units; separating the ownership of the land from the ownership of the housing unit, whereby only the housing unit is purchased by the homebuyer, and by restricting the amount of equity that a homeowner can take from the housing unit upon sale (Community Housing Trust model); or other equivalent mechanisms. Eligible uses of the fund include the cost of land, construction, or any development costs that will reduce the cost of new or newly rehabilitated, non-student housing units developed, provided these housing units remain permanently affordable by using a mechanism such as the Community Housing Trust or another acceptable mechanism.