HUD Announces $4.4 Million in Grants to Help Communities Reduce Lead Paint Hazards

Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building grants pay for building or rebuilding a community’s capacity to run a robust lead‑hazard control program, rather than primarily for the construction work itself. Allowable activities include, for example:

• Developing data and systems to determine how many young children have elevated blood lead levels and where lead hazards are concentrated.
• Training and equipping staff and contractors in lead‑safe work practices for renovation, repair, and maintenance.
• Designing and implementing intake procedures, guidelines, and tracking systems for identifying eligible households and units.
• Setting up systems to market units that have had lead hazards controlled to families with young children (e.g., advertising lead‑safe units).
• Hiring qualified program and financial management staff to operate a lead‑hazard control program.
• Building collaborations and data‑sharing agreements between health and housing agencies, and working with faith‑based and other community organizations.
• Integrating lead‑hazard control into existing housing repair/rehab, code enforcement, weatherization, and energy‑efficiency programs.
• Developing high‑quality data tools and long‑term systems to sustain a local lead‑hazard control program after the grant ends.

These examples come from HUD’s program description; applicants should use the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the definitive list of eligible and ineligible costs.

Eligible applicants are government entities, not individuals or stand‑alone nonprofits. Specifically, HUD lists:

• State governments (the 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico).
• Federally recognized Native American tribes that have a U.S. EPA‑authorized lead abatement certification program.
• City or township governments.
• County or parish governments.
• Special district governments and other units of local government that are legally part of a government and either:
  • Have never received a direct HUD lead hazard control grant, or
  • Were former grantees that now need to rebuild diminished capacity.

Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorships are explicitly ineligible, but community‑based and nonprofit organizations can participate as partners or subgrantees to an eligible government applicant.

For this funding round (FR‑6900‑N‑31):

• Application deadline: February 26, 2026, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date.
• Funding limits per award: HUD expects to make about 5 cooperative agreements, with a minimum award of $1,000,000 and a maximum award of $2,500,000 per grantee. Applicants are generally expected to request funding within this range.

Yes. The NOFO specifies that cost sharing or matching is required for this program, but the public summary does not state the exact percentage or detailed rules. Applicants must consult the full Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Program NOFO (FR‑6900‑N‑31) on HUD or Grants.gov to determine the required match level and what sources of non‑federal funds are allowable.

HUD evaluates success for lead‑related grants primarily through required performance reporting from grantees. For this capacity‑building program, HUD focuses on whether grantees have built the core elements needed to run an effective lead‑hazard control program, such as:

• Improved data on childhood lead poisoning and the location of high‑risk housing.
• Trained staff and contractors using lead‑safe work practices.
• Established intake, tracking, and marketing systems to connect families with lead‑safe units.
• Formal collaboration and data‑sharing between health and housing agencies and key community partners.
• Integration of lead‑hazard control into existing housing rehab and repair programs.
• Systems in place to sustain a local lead‑control program after the grant.

Across HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, a major outcome indicator is the number of low‑income housing units made lead‑safe or healthier through these grant programs, and grantees must report these outcomes regularly to HUD.

HUD states that it will provide technical assistance to help jurisdictions submit competitive applications and understand the funding opportunity. The main forms of assistance described publicly are:

• A HUD‑hosted webinar on the Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Program.
• Direct technical assistance and responses to applicant questions via email and phone.

Jurisdictions can request assistance or more information by:

• Emailing OLHCHH.NOFA@hud.gov (or olhchh.nofa@hud.gov, as listed in the opportunity), and/or
• Calling HUD at 202‑402‑3167 (TTY 711).

HUD also directs applicants to the application package and NOFO materials on Grants.gov/HUD.gov for detailed written guidance.