§ 115.304 - Agencies eligible for contributions funds.

§ 115.304 Agencies eligible for contributions funds.

(a) An agency that has received CB funds for one to three consecutive years may be eligible for contributions funding. Contributions funding consists of five categories:

(1) Complaint processing (CP) funds;

(2) Special enforcement effort (SEE) funds (see § 115.305);

(3) Training funds (see § 115.306);

(4) Administrative cost (AC) funds; and

(5) Partnership (P) funds.

(b) CP funds.

(1) Agencies receiving CP funds will receive such support based solely on the number of complaints processed by the agency and accepted for payment by the FHEO regional director during a consecutive, specifically identified, 12-month period. The 12-month period will be identified in the cooperative agreement between HUD and the agency. The FHEO regional office shall determine whether or not cases are acceptably processed based on requirements enumerated in the cooperative agreement and its attachments/appendices, performance standards set forth in 24 CFR 115.206, and provisions of the interim agreement or MOU.

(2) The amount of funding to agencies that are new to contributions funding will be based on the number of complaints acceptably processed by the agency during the specifically identified 12-month period preceding the signing of the cooperative agreement.

(c) AC funds.

(1) Agencies that acceptably process 100 or more cases will receive no less than 10 percent of the agency's total FHAP payment amount for the preceding year, in addition to CP funds, contingent on fiscal year appropriations. Agencies that acceptably process fewer than 100 cases will receive a flat rate, contingent on fiscal year appropriations.

(2) Agencies will be required to provide HUD with a statement of how they intend to use the AC funds. HUD may require that some or all AC funding be directed to activities designed to create, modify, or improve local, regional, or national information systems concerning fair housing matters (including the purchase of state-of-the-art computer systems, obtaining and maintaining Internet access, etc.).

(d) P funds. The purpose of P funds is for an agency participating in the FHAP to utilize the services of individuals and/or public, private, for-profit, or not-for-profit organizations that have expertise needed to effectively carry out the provisions of the agency's fair housing law. P funds are fixed amounts and shall be allocated based on the FHAP appropriation. Agencies must consult with the CAO and GTR in identifying appropriate usage of P funds for the geographical area that the agency services. Some examples of proper P fund usage include, but are not limited to:

(1) Contracting with qualified organizations to conduct fair housing testing in appropriate cases;

(2) Hiring experienced, temporary staff to assist in the investigation of complex or aged cases;

(3) Partnering with grassroots, faith-based or other community-based organizations to conduct education and outreach to people of different backgrounds on how to live together peacefully in the same housing complex, neighborhood, or community;

(4) Contracting with individuals outside the agency who have special expertise needed for the investigation of fair housing cases (e.g., architects for design and construction cases or qualified individuals from colleges and universities for the development of data and statistical analyses).