FY2023 and FY2024 Authority to Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships | FR 6700 N USP

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6700 N USP

This grant opportunity is a standing notice from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), specifically HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), stating that the agency is authorized to accept unsolicited research proposals for research partnerships. In practical terms, HUD is inviting organizations to bring forward their own research ideas, as long as those ideas directly align with HUDs current research priorities described in the notice. Rather than a single one-time competition with a narrow project description, this is an open window for proposing collaborative research that can inform housing and community development policy, improve program performance, and build evidence around what works.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement as the award instrument. A cooperative agreement typically signals that HUD expects to be meaningfully involved in the project beyond just providing funds, such as collaborating on the study design, providing access to data or program context, coordinating with stakeholders, and helping ensure the work meets policy and research needs. The activity categories include housing as well as science and technology and other research and development, reflecting that proposals can range from applied policy studies to more technical or methodological work, provided the topic fits HUDs stated priorities. The listing is associated with CFDA number 14.506.

A key feature of this notice is the cost sharing requirement. To be considered, proposals must include cost sharing of at least 50 percent of the total project cost, and that cost share must come from philanthropic entities or from federal, state, or local government agencies. This means an applicant cannot rely solely on HUD funds for the work; they must bring substantial non-HUD resources to the table and clearly document those commitments in the proposal. The cost sharing rule is not a minor preference, it is a statutory requirement highlighted in the notice, and failure to meet it would make a submission ineligible.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with clarification provided in the notice itself. In effect, HUD is signaling that a range of organizations may be able to apply, but applicants must confirm they meet the specific eligibility conditions described in the full notice and must follow all submission instructions precisely. The notice emphasizes that organizations should read it carefully to avoid submitting incomplete or ineligible proposals, and it warns that missing or inaccurate information can lead to rejection on administrative grounds rather than on the merits of the research idea.

In terms of timing, the notice was created July 3, 2023, and proposals may be submitted at any time from the date of the notice through June 30, 2025, up to 11:59:59 PM Eastern. This long open period makes it function like an ongoing intake for partnership-ready research concepts rather than a short, fixed deadline competition. For planning purposes, applicants can develop proposals when they have a well-formed partnership, a priority-aligned question, and secured cost share commitments, instead of racing a single annual deadline.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000, with an expected total of about 12 awards. While individual award amounts can vary by project scope, the ceiling suggests HUD is open to relatively substantial studies, pilots, evaluations, data efforts, or other research activities that can credibly support policy learning. Because this is a cooperative agreement and a partnership model, HUD is likely looking for proposals that are not only academically sound but also operationally feasible, policy relevant, and structured in a way that results can be translated into actionable insights for housing and community development programs.

Finally, the notice points applicants to the designated agency contact in section VII for questions about requirements. That matters because unsolicited proposal processes often have strict formatting, content, and justification expectations, and the most common reasons proposals fail are administrative: unclear alignment to priorities, missing documentation of cost share, insufficient detail on methods and deliverables, or not following the required submission components. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as HUDs formal mechanism for inviting externally initiated, co-funded research partnerships that advance HUDs current evidence and learning agenda.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2023 and FY2024 Authority to Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.506.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 03, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2025 Proposals may be submitted at any time from the date of this Notice until 115959 PM Eastern time on. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FR 6700 N USP

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