GPD Capital Grant | VA GPD CG FY2021

Opportunity Information: Apply for VA GPD CG FY2021

The GPD Capital Grant is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funding opportunity created in response to the COVID-19 national emergency, with money provided through the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136). VA set aside about $50 million in one-time capital funding to help make Grant and Per Diem (GPD) transitional housing safer for Veterans who would otherwise be experiencing homelessness. The basic idea is to reduce the health and safety risks that come with shared, congregate living environments during infectious disease outbreaks by helping providers shift toward more private, individual-unit style accommodations.

This NOFO is strictly about capital improvements to real property used for GPD transitional housing. In practical terms, the funds can support acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation work that changes GPD housing configuration and improves safety. The funding is not meant to pay for per diem, services, or day-to-day operating costs for transitional housing beds. The emphasis is on physical changes to housing that reduce close-quarters living, especially by converting shared sleeping arrangements into private rooms with private bathrooms.

Eligibility is limited to current GPD grantees, and the definition is narrow. To qualify, an organization must have successfully applied under the FY2020 GPD Per Diem Only (PDO) competition and received a new PDO award that began October 1, 2020 (with an end date of September 30, 2021) and be eligible for an option year starting October 1, 2021. Projects that only have a PDO Service Center grant, Transition in Place (TIP) grant, Special Need grant, or Case Management grant are not eligible unless the organization also has an active PDO transitional housing grant. Applicants must apply using the same organization identity tied to the active PDO grant, meaning the same Employer Identification Number (EIN) associated with the relevant Federal Award Identifying Number (FAIN).

The VA placed clear limits on what can be requested and how applications can be structured. Each applicant (as defined by EIN) is limited to one application per currently active GPD PDO grant per VA medical facility catchment area. The project proposed must improve some or all of the GPD beds already associated with that active PDO grant. Temporary locations that are not under the applicant's direct ownership or control, such as motels used as a short-term COVID-era measure, are not eligible for improvement under this grant. The application can request up to $50,000 per bed that will be converted from a shared-space bed into a private-room bed with a private bath, with a maximum request of $2.5 million per application.

The bed conversion rules are designed to keep the capital investment tied to the existing GPD footprint and to prevent expansion beyond authorized capacity. The number of beds proposed for conversion can be less than, but cannot exceed, the total number of beds authorized under the existing PDO grant. For programs where bed capacity flexes, VA caps the conversion total at the average number of documented GPD beds during the three months prior to the month the NOFO was published. After the project is finished, the converted beds must remain within the same VA medical facility catchment area as the active PDO grant; moving to a different catchment area is not allowed. If the proposed site remains in the catchment area but is far from the current location, the applicant must explain how they will handle practical impacts such as access to VA services, employment, and transportation. Applicants are also reminded they must continue providing at least the same level of staffing and services described in their FY2020 PDO application (or as later modified through an approved change of scope), even though this particular funding stream is for bricks-and-mortar improvements rather than services.

The NOFO also highlights accountability conditions that come with accepting capital funds. Awardees are subject to recovery provisions under 38 C.F.R. 61.67, meaning VA can seek prorated repayment of the capital grant if, during the required minimum operational period, the grantee no longer has an active GPD PDO grant and/or fails to maintain required bed numbers. The operational compliance clock is tied to the "activation date," which is the date VA approves activation after the project is completed, not the original award date. This matters because it affects how long the improved housing must remain in operation to avoid repayment risk.

Administratively, applications had to be submitted exactly as directed on the VA GPD website (www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp) and could not be submitted by any other method. VA set a firm deadline: applications had to be received by the GPD National Program Office no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 25, 2021, with late submissions deemed ineligible. VA also required applications to be submitted as a complete package, warning that separately arriving materials would not be added later and could cause an application to be rejected or not funded. Technical assistance information was made available through the same VA GPD program website.

In the published opportunity details, the program is listed as a discretionary grant in the housing category (CFDA 64.024), administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. The stated award ceiling is $2.5 million, with an estimate of about 30 awards expected, aligning with the broader goal of using roughly $50 million to help existing GPD providers reconfigure transitional housing to better protect Veterans during public health emergencies while preserving program continuity and local service connections.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs, Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program in the housing sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GPD Capital Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 64.024.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 11, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2021. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for VA GPD CG FY2021

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: