Estimating the Prevalence and Probability of Homeless Youth | FR 6400 N 59

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6400 N 59

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a discretionary research funding opportunity titled "Estimating the Prevalence and Probability of Homeless Youth" (Funding Opportunity Number: FR 6400 N 59). The program is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means HUD expects an active role in the project beyond simply providing funds, such as collaborating on study design decisions, data strategy, deliverables, and dissemination. The activity category is Housing, and it is associated with CFDA number 14.536. The purpose of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFA) is to support research proposals that improve how the nation measures youth homelessness, specifically by estimating incidence and prevalence as required under section 345 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. In practical terms, the focus is on producing credible, defensible estimates of how many young people experience homelessness and how likely youth are to experience homelessness over a defined period, using rigorous research methods.

The core research objective is to develop or apply methods that can quantify both incidence (new occurrences of youth homelessness during a given time window) and prevalence (the total number of youth experiencing homelessness at a point in time or across a period). The title also highlights probability, signaling interest in approaches that go beyond simple counts and instead estimate risk or likelihood, potentially by combining multiple data sources, modeling undercount, or accounting for youth who are not captured by traditional homelessness systems. Because youth homelessness is often hidden and underreported, this kind of work usually involves careful attention to definitions, sampling strategies, measurement error, and the limitations of administrative systems. The NOFA is framed around statutory requirements, indicating HUD is seeking research that can support federal reporting and policy decisions with more reliable measurement.

Funding is capped at an award ceiling of $2,000,000 per award, and HUD anticipated making about 5 awards under this competition. The opportunity was created on May 15, 2020, with an original closing date of July 1, 2020. The deadline is listed as 11:59:59 pm Eastern Standard Time on the closing date, which implies applications had to be submitted electronically by the end of that day. As a discretionary grant competition, applications would generally be evaluated competitively based on how well the proposed research meets the NOFA goals, the quality and feasibility of the methodology, the qualifications of the research team, and the likelihood that results can be used by HUD and partners to strengthen national estimates and decision-making.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of public, nonprofit, academic, and private-sector entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status; nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. This broad eligibility suggests HUD was open to proposals from experienced research organizations, universities, policy institutes, and multidisciplinary teams that could combine statistical expertise, youth-serving system knowledge, and access to relevant data sources. In many cases, a strong application for a research NOFA like this would be expected to show meaningful partnerships with agencies or organizations that interact with homeless or at-risk youth, since access to data and field expertise can be critical to generating valid estimates.

Overall, this NOFA is best understood as a targeted federal research investment aimed at improving the measurement of youth homelessness nationwide. By funding multiple projects (up to five) under cooperative agreements, HUD signaled interest in advancing methods and evidence that could reduce uncertainty in national and local estimates, clarify how many youth are affected, and better inform policy, resource allocation, and program design under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act framework.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Estimating the Prevalence and Probability of Homeless Youth" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.536.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 15, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2020 The application deadline is 115959 pm Eastern Standard 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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

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