Partnerships and Funding

Below are various opportunities to partner with the City and receive funding. More information can be found by expanding the program box.

Open Opportunities

Who Should Apply

The Housing Services and Human & Social Services applications are combined for the 2025-2027 grant cycle. Any program which provides social services (whether for housing or other social services) should follow these application instructions.

Before You Apply

  1. Read the entire NOFA before beginning your application: Housing & Human/Social Services (NOFA).
  2. Review Contract Requirements: This document provides an overview of the contract requirements that will be associated with this grant if your application is successful: Contract Requirements.
  3. Watch this Video Tutorial.

How to Apply

There are two ways to submit your application.

  1. Online (we recommend this option) through our online submission form.
    • Before filling in the online form, draft your responses to each question in the two Application Documents below, and then copy them into the online submission form. Please be mindful of the page limits.
  2. Via email at KRMorton@cob.org.

Submit your application only once. Please do not hand-deliver your application. 

Applications Documents:

This is a two-part application:

  1. Part 1 is a Common Application, shared with the United Way of Whatcom County’s Community Impact Fund and Whatcom County Health and Community Services: Housing Services Common Application (Word document)
  2. Part 2 is the City of Bellingham Addendum. Both must be submitted by the due date (January 16, 2025) for your application to be complete: Application Addendum (Word document)

Additional Documents:

Get Your Questions Answered

  • NOFA Q&A Session: Staff will hold a Q&A sessions on December 3, 2024 @ 1pm and December 5, 2024 @ 10am to review some frequently asked questions. 
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will be posted here by December 13, 2024.  

Contact Us

For questions on the application process, contact Kathleen Morton at (360) 778-8358 or krmorton@cob.org.

Public Facilities or improvements that principally benefit low-income persons or areas.

Production of new homeownership housing serving low-income households in the City of Bellingham. Funding can be used for site acquisition and development costs for affordable owner-occupied homes in accordance with the Housing Development Guideline and Procedure Handbook.

Production of new rental (multifamily) housing primarily serving households that earn less than 60% of area median income (AMI). Preservation of multifamily housing, including shelters and transitional housing.   

PLEASE NOTE: See the information included under the First Steps subheading. All projects responding to this NOFA are expected to have also completed and submitted an Expression of Interest form. Any projects showing 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funding on their application must also be coordinated with the Whatcom County Housing Advisory Committee prioritization process. If you are applying for a project that does not yet have complete information or attachments ready, please indicate when the anticipated additional information will be available. See the Housing Development Handbook for information about the application and funding commitment process.

Rental Assistance and Supportive Services

Program serving vulnerable families and individuals who are experiencing, or at imminent risk of, homelessness. Applications are accepted only in conjunction with the Housing Production application above.

Community Housing Development Organizations

Some funding is set aside for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). Agencies that wish to access this CHDO set-aside funding must submit a CHDO certification application. Recertification (and ensuring all CHDO information is current) must occur prior to a project funding agreement with the City, and annually thereafter; download the recert

The City welcomes all groups or agencies considering preserving or adding to the inventory of housing or shelter available to low-income residents. We encourage you to contact us as early in the process as possible. We welcome all inquiries, and our goal is to help project proponents connect to partners and leverage funding to move forward in as coordinated a fashion as possible. Most project proponents have been talking about and working toward a project concept for well over a year before they are ready to respond to one of the applications for funding (NOFA) for Housing Production or Preservation. In order to help us understand your concept and connect you to funding and partners, we ask that you start by reviewing the following.

  • Predevelopment Application – Limited funding (up to $60,000) may be available once a project has a known site. Please review and submit this application to the City if interested. Note that if a project successfully moves forward, this predevelopment funding will be rolled into permanent project financing.
  • Countywide Funding Coordination – The City of Bellingham works closely with Whatcom County on coordinating a pipeline of affordable housing projects throughout our region that anticipate utilizing public funding. Project proponents moving forward within the Bellingham city limits are asked to submit forms directly to the City at cd@cob.org. We encourage starting this process about 2 years prior to actual project development and to review the graphic of the full countywide coordination and prioritization process. Following are links to the forms required in the first steps of the process.
    • Expression of Interest – this form notifies us of the interest in developing and ensures coordination about funding opportunities.
    • Statement of Intent – this form is the next step, with more detailed information about the project, and attachments required, including the Attachment A (Excel Spreadsheet).

Questions: For questions on the processes above, contact Samya Lutz at slklutz@cob.org or 360-778-8385.

These loans are from the local or federal funding sources, and are intended as short-term funding to permit strategic acquisition of existing housing or sites for low-income housing development. These loans are expected to be repaid with permanent project financing and are intended to facilitate development of rental or home​ownership housing consistent with the objectives and priorities of the Housing Levy and Consolidated Plan.

The City will give priority to projects that meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant demonstrates that the project takes advantage of a low acquisition cost, and that short-term acquisition financing is critical to achieving cost savings, and/or
  • The project leverages or demonstrates a high likelihood of leveraging significant funding for housing development, operations, and/or services, or project-related infrastructure investments, which may be lost without the availability of short-term acquisition financing.

In addition, the program will give preference to:

  • Projects that produce or preserve low-income housing located in a high-frequency transit service area, and/or
  • Projects that develop affordable housing through acquisition and rehabilitation of existing buildings.

Notice of Funding Availability

The City may make available approximately $2 million for these loans. Applicants should contact Samya Lutz at slklutz@cob.org or 360-778-8385 to discuss the application process and requirements.

Applicants should view the NOFA and Application documents and forms under the ‘Preservation and Production – Housing and Shelter’ heading (expand that section using the + sign), and be prepared to submit those same application materials for consideration under the Acquisition and Opportunity Loans.

Applications will be accepted until all funds have been allocated. 

The City has set aside $50,000.00 annually to address emergency repair of any multifamily housing, including shelters and transitional housing included in the City’s Consolidated Plan inventory.

Applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

The City periodically has funding available for emergency repairs to (non-housing) Community Facilities owned by nonprofit organizations where direct services activities take place that benefit low-income households. Please refer to the “Community / Public Facilities” information (even if under Currently Closed Opportunities). Fill out the application (the Competitive Selection Criteria section is NOT required), and include the Community Demographics forms as an attachment. Submit to slklutz@cob.org.

Currently Closed Opportunities

Infill Demonstration Project

This program is intended to create ownership and / or rental opportunities that implement the City’s Infill and Neighborhood goals.

New Homeownership

Production of new homeownership housing serving low income households.

Safe Parking Pilot Program

The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from agencies that can provide safe overnight parking for individuals who are living in their cars. This RFP is currently closed.

Safe Encampment RFQ

The City issued a Request for Qualifications from agencies that can operate a tiny house village or other year-round encampment to serve households who are unsheltered. Submissions were due on December 4, 2020.

Applications are being sought from nonprofit agencies to provide prevention and diversion services within the City of Bellingham. This announcement provides information and instructions for organizations and agencies interested in applying for these funds. The City will consider proposals from nonprofit and/or public agencies.

PAST ACTION: The City has issued an Invitation to Submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) from agencies or organizations that have homelessness prevention ideas and are interested in potential future funding from the City for this purpose. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis with the first review after January 30, 2023.


Safe Parking Pilot Program

The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from agencies that can provide safe overnight parking for individuals who are living in their vehicles.

For an agency to administer and provide tenant-based rental assistance services in the City to very low income families, homeless and other special needs populations.

RESOURCES

Home > Services > Housing Support, Shelter, and Human Services > Funding Support for Affordable Housing Programs and Homeowners