Authority To Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice | FR 6300 N USP

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6300 N USP

The "Authority To Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice" (Funding Opportunity Number FR 6300 N USP) is a discretionary HUD funding opportunity run through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, specifically HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). The core purpose of the notice is to formally state that PD&R is allowed to accept and consider unsolicited research proposals, meaning applicants can bring forward their own research ideas as long as they align with HUD's current research priorities. Rather than limiting submissions to a single narrowly defined solicitation topic, this approach invites organizations to propose research partnerships and projects that HUD considers timely and relevant to housing and community development policy, programs, and evidence needs.

The funding instrument type is a Cooperative Agreement, which typically indicates more substantial involvement by HUD in the project compared with a standard grant. In practice, this usually means HUD may collaborate on elements like study design refinements, data access, dissemination plans, or coordination with related federal research efforts. The program sits under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA number 14.506, tying it to HUD's research and evaluation funding streams.

A defining requirement of this notice is the cost-sharing threshold: proposals must include cost sharing of at least 50 percent of the total project cost. Importantly, the cost share must come from philanthropic entities or from federal, state, or local government agencies. That means an applicant cannot rely solely on HUD funds to carry the project; they must bring significant external support to the table and document that support as part of the proposal. This requirement is central to eligibility under the governing statutes and is intended to leverage non-HUD resources to expand the scope, credibility, and sustainability of the research.

Eligibility is broad and spans multiple sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. This wide eligibility list signals that HUD is open to research partnerships led by universities, policy research organizations, governments, tribes, and certain private-sector entities, so long as the proposed work matches HUD priorities and satisfies the cost-sharing and submission requirements.

The notice also highlights a participation goal that affects how applicants may want to structure partnerships. HUD states that it is interested in increasing the participation of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across all program areas. Even when an applicant is not an MSI or HBCU, HUD encourages building partnerships with MSIs and HBCUs. For many proposals, that could mean engaging these institutions as research partners, subrecipients, data analysis leads, community engagement hubs, or contributors to dissemination and capacity-building components. While the notice frames this as encouragement rather than an absolute eligibility condition, it clearly signals a preference for inclusive collaboration and could strengthen a proposal's competitiveness and broader impact.

In terms of timing and competition details, the opportunity was created on May 21, 2019, with an original closing date of December 31, 2020. The listing also notes that electronic submissions must be made by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The expected number of awards is listed as 6. The award ceiling is shown as 0, which generally indicates that HUD did not specify a single maximum award amount in the public summary, so funding levels may be determined based on the nature of the proposed work, available appropriations, and HUD's assessment of value and feasibility. Because this is an unsolicited proposal pathway, prospective applicants typically need to pay close attention to the notice instructions about what a complete proposal must include, since HUD is emphasizing that submissions should contain certain standard information elements even though the topics can vary.

Overall, this notice is best understood as a standing invitation for qualified organizations to bring forward research partnership ideas that directly support HUD's policy and program needs, with a strong emphasis on shared investment (at least 50 percent non-HUD cost share) and a clear encouragement to collaborate with MSIs and HBCUs to broaden participation in federally supported housing and community development research.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Authority To Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice" 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 May 21, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 31, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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.

Apply for FR 6300 N USP

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