Housing Challenge Funds for Schools Request for Proposal (RFP)
Application 

Application Deadline:
March 6, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time
Instructions
Review the Housing Challenge Funds for Schools RFP Application Instructions before completing application materials. The Housing Challenge Funds for Schools RFP Application Instructions provide information and submission instructions.

Complete this Application and the Workbook. Attach all documents listed in the Required Documents section of the Housing Challenge Funds for Schools RFP Application Instructions. The ability to complete a project in a timely fashion is critical. Contracts expire 24 months from the effective date of the Grant Contract Agreement. 

All new construction projects must incorporate visitability requirements into the home design. Review Section F – Visitability in this document for more information.

Applicant Information
1.	Applicant Information (Exact legal name as it should appear on the Contract, if funded): 
Name:	     
Address:	     
City:	     
State:	     
Zip:		     
County:	     

Superintendent, Dean, Principal or Equivalent: 
Salutation:		     
Chosen Name: 	     
Job Title:		     
Legal Name:	     
Phone:		      
Email:		     

2.	RFP Contact:	
Salutation:		     
Chosen Name: 	     
Job Title:		     
Legal Name:	     
Phone:		      
Email:		      

By submitting this application, the Applicant authorizes Minnesota Housing to add the RFP Contact to our email distribution lists, including eNews lists, to ensure they receive important program updates.

 If the Superintendent or equivalent is not the RFP Contact, check here if the Applicant authorizes Minnesota Housing to add its Superintendent or equivalent to our email distribution lists.

3.	What type of organization is the Applicant?  
 School district
 Cooperative unit as defined in Minnesota Statute 123A.24 subdivision 2 
 Charter school 

NOTE: Nonprofit organizations or individual schools that are neither cooperative units as defined in Minnesota Statute 123A.24 subdivision 2 or charter schools are ineligible to apply.

4.	Applicant: 
State ID #:	     		Federal ID #:	     

5.	Identify who will provide the services below and mark whether the entity is an unaffiliated entity. An unaffiliated entity is one that does not have a contractual or legal relationship with the Applicant. 

	Name of entity performing services	An unaffiliated entity 	
Real estate agent or brokerage services	     	 Yes      No	
General contractor services	     	 Yes      No	
Specialty contractor services	     	 Yes      No	
Architectural services	     	 Yes      No	
Energy audits/modeling	     	 Yes      No	
Material supply	     	 Yes      No	
Other. Describe: 
     	     	 Yes      No	

A. Project Information
1.	Project/Program Name:      

2.	Funds provided for materials, supplies and contractor labor through this application must result in a home for an eligible owner-occupant, either by construction of a new structure or rehabilitation of an existing structure. Will the grant funds be used to construct or rehabilitate a home for an eligible owner-occupant? 		Yes    No 

3.	Describe the proposed project, including the structure of the school program, whether it is a new or existing program and the type of home that will be constructed or rehabilitated. (2,000 character max)
     

4.	Describe the Applicant’s role in the project. (2,000 character max)
     

5.	If there are partners who will complete the project with the Applicant, list the names and explain the role of each partner. Describe their experience completing similar projects.
     

6.	Select all applicable options for which the Applicant is requesting funds and list or describe in detail the specific items or professional labor. 
a.	 Building materials (e.g., lumber, siding, etc.)	     	
b.	 Construction tools (e.g., saws, hammers, etc.)	     	
c.	 Contractor labor (e.g., plumber, electrician, etc.)	     

7.	Have lots or homes been acquired?      
a.	If yes, how many?      
b.	If yes, describe any constraints or concerns (e.g., environmental conditions, land use constraints, etc.).
     

8.	Will any residents be displaced from their homes as a result of this project?   Yes    No  
a.	If yes, describe the situation and how the Applicant will minimize and manage displacement.
     
9.	What Target Area(s) will the Applicant serve? List each city or county to be served.
     

10.	What is the Impact Fund area median income (AMI) to be served (up to 115% AMI)?    % AMI 

11.	What measures will you take to determine that prospective owner-occupants are eligible? NOTE: Owner-occupants must have an income at or below 115% AMI and must participate in a homeownership education counseling and training program.
     

12.	How will the home be conveyed to an eligible household (e.g., sale, auction, gift or other method)?
      
B. Community Need
1.	Describe the need for the specific school program and home to be constructed or rehabilitated, and how it best serves the needs of the community. Include the impact on students and local housing needs. Cite data sources. (2,000 character max)
     
2.	A Cooperatively Developed Plan (CDP) is a community supported plan developed by a local unit of government or community group that encompasses multiple affordable housing and related service initiatives in a geographically defined area. 
a.	Is the proposed project a part of a CDP? 	Yes 	  No  

C. Leverage and Cost Containment
1.	What types of in-kind contributions (e.g., donated materials, volunteer labor, etc.) has the Applicant secured, and what are the sources of the in-kind contributions?
     

2.	What types of regulatory incentives (e.g., fee waivers, expedited approvals and permitting, etc.) has the Applicant secured and what are the sources of the regulatory incentives?
     

3.	What other cost containment measures will the Applicant take to reduce the total development cost (e.g., rigorous competitive bidding, use of own labor crews, below-market interim financing, etc.)? 
     

D. Organizational Capacity

1.	Over the past five years, how many home construction projects has the Applicant completed?      

2.	Describe the types of homes, structures or buildings the Applicant has constructed and how they compare to the proposed project. (2,000 character max)
     

2.	If the Applicant has not completed home construction projects in the past five years, explain how the Applicant has the capacity to complete the proposed project (e.g., training, new staff, partnerships, etc.). (2,000 character max)
     

E. Funding Priorities
Before completing this section, refer to the following information:

•	RFP Application Instructions for funding priority guidance  
•	Minnesota Housing’s funding priority methodologies located on the Impact Fund webpage 
•	Minnesota Housing’s Community Profiles for Scoring in 2024 Consolidated RFP  Single Family Consolidated RFP Geographic Scoring Map

Equitable Access to Homeownership
1)	Provide the number and percentage of households the Applicant has served over the past five years that meet the criteria in the grid below:
	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	
% Indigenous, Black and Households of Color 	     	     	     	     	     	
% Households with a Person with a Disability	     	     	     	     	     	
Total # Households Served	     	     	     	     	     	

2)	List the counties that the Applicant has predominately served over the past five years.
     

3)	Describe how the proposal will support one or more of the following outcomes: "address housing disparities, build power in communities most impacted by housing challenges and disparities, pilot innovative challenges, and support inclusive communities." (2,000 character max)
     

4)	Describe how the Applicant plans to measure the success of this outcome. (2,000 character max)
     

Business Entities Owned or Led by People of Color, Indigenous Individuals, and/or Women
1)	Is the superintendent, principal or equivalent of the applicant entity any of the following?	
a.	Black or Person of Color			Yes    No 
b.	Indigenous Individual and/or Tribal Entity	Yes    No 
c.	Woman					Yes    No 

Serve Housing Needs Within a Community
1)	Universal Design/Accessibility: Will the Applicant complete at least one unit that meets the Universal Design Standards for new construction or Type A Accessible unit standards?	
Yes    No 

2)	Large Family Housing: Will the Applicant complete at least one unit with 4+ bedrooms and/or a unit with an accessory dwelling unit?	Yes    No 

3)	Senior Housing: Are there any features of the project designed specifically to enable seniors (those aged 62 years or over) to age in place?	Yes    No 

Homeownership or Financial Education and Counseling 
1)	Any owner-occupants of the home(s) constructed through this program must participate in the Homeownership Education Counseling and Training (HECAT) program. Will the Applicant require homebuyers to participate in the HECAT program?		Yes    No 

Workforce Training Programs
1)	Will the Applicant utilize any workforce training programs?   Yes    No 

Efficient Land Use
1)	Is the proposed housing being developed on in-fill lots or a new subdivision? 
In-fill lots    New subdivision 

a.	If the Applicant is proposing to develop a new subdivision, will the new construction units have an adverse impact on existing community services and utilities?   Yes    No 

b.	If yes, please explain.  
     

2)	Does the proposal minimize the loss of agriculture land and green space? 	Yes    No 

Advancement of Housing Innovation and Technology
1.	Will the Applicant use volumetric modular construction, cross-laminated lumber, panelized, robotics, 3D printing, and/or other innovative construction methods to construct homes?	
Yes    No  

a.	If yes, describe the technology and how it will be used, including how this technology will affect the cost of the project.  (2,000 character max)
     

Long-Term Affordability
1.	Will the Applicant impose restrictions (e.g., deferred loan with repayment, deed restrictions, resale restrictions, etc.) for three or more years to enhance long term affordability?	Yes    No   

2.	Describe how the Applicant will enforce long term affordability. 
     

F. Visitability Requirement
Visitable unit design and construction allows people with mobility impairments to enter and comfortably stay for a duration and is required under Minnesota Statute 462A. 34. All new construction units must incorporate all of the following elements:

•	32-inch clear opening doorways throughout the unit; 
•	At least one no-step entrance; and 
•	A half bath, or larger bathroom, on the main level. 

1.	Will all New Construction units incorporate all three Visitability elements? 	Yes    No  
If no, please review the “Visitability Waivers” section below.

Visitability Waivers
In limited circumstances and on a home-by-home basis, Minnesota Housing may waive the following visitability elements for the following reasons: 

•	No-step entrance: Site conditions make the requirement impractical, or it reduces affordability for the targeted population.
•	One half bath: Reduces affordability for the targeted population. 

Minnesota Housing cannot waive the 32-inch clear opening doorways requirement. 
G. Required Documents
Applicants must submit the required documents identified in the Housing Challenge Funds for Schools RFP Instructions in their original formats. If Applicants are unable to provide a required document, include a description as to why.  

Label documents with this file name format: “Organization_ Document Name. For example, organization “ABC School District” should save this document as “ABCSD_ Application.”

F. Signature Page
Informed Consent to Share Data
The entity identified below (the “Applicant”) is submitting an application to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (Minnesota Housing) for funding or other resources through the Housing Challenge Funds for Schools RFP process.  

By submitting this Application, the Applicant consents to the sharing of application-related data and materials by Minnesota Housing with non-Minnesota Housing partners that assist with the evaluation of responses. Data shared with outside reviewers and entities remains not public data during the evaluation process and may not be shared by those entities except as authorized by relevant data practice statutes.

This consent is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time by providing written notice to Minnesota Housing. If consent is withdrawn, Minnesota Housing will not score and consider the application. If you have questions about this document or the use of the data, please contact Minnesota Housing’s Data Practices Compliance Official at MNHousing.Data@state.mn.us.    

Applicant Certification
I am a duly authorized representative of the Applicant. The proposal and information provided in this application are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. If funded, the Applicant will comply with the Grant Contract Agreement (“Contract”) terms and the Impact Fund Procedural Manual. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the Contract and those contained in the Impact Fund Procedural Manual, then the provisions of the Contract will control. The Impact Fund Procedural Manual may, however, contain more stringent requirements than those found in the Contract. In which case, the Impact Fund program Administrator must comply with the most stringent requirements.

The Applicant, who is not a state employee, if awarded  grant proceeds, will comply with required grants management policies and procedures set forth through Minnesota Statute 16B.97, Subd. 4 (a) (1) and review the State of Minnesota Office of Grants Management policy 08-01, (Conflict of Interest for State Grant-Making). In addition, if the Applicant or, if awarded funds, the Administrator, has knowledge or becomes aware of any actual, potential, perceived, or organizational conflicts of interest with respect to the Contract, the Administrator shall immediately disclose the conflict of interest directly to Minnesota Housing. 

     	     	
Authorized Signature	Date
	
     	     	
Printed Name	Title
	
     	     	
Phone Number	Email Address