Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
The application period is now closed.
The application period for the current round Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grants closed on Friday, Sept. 26. Commerce is currently evaluating applications and intends to announce awards this winter
Refer to the 2025-2027 CHIP Program Guidelines (PDF) for detailed information.
Eligibility
A CHIP applicant must be a city, county or public utility district in partnership with an affordable housing developer. Projects must meet specific criteria:
- Located in a jurisdiction that imposes an affordable housing sales and use tax under RCW 82.14.530(1)(a)(ii) or RCW 82.14.530(1)(b)(i)(B), RCW 82.14.540, or RCW 84.52.105. This includes all counties and the cities within them except Stevens and Ferry counties.
- Located within the urban growth area (UGA) boundary.
- A minimum of 25% of the units are set-aside as affordable to low- or moderate-income households.
- The affordable housing development must begin construction within 24 months of the CHIP award.
- A strong probability of serving residents within the specified income levels for at least 25 years.
Funding details
CHIP is offering a range of funding options to support the development of affordable housing.
- $55 million for all eligible jurisdictions.
- $30 million for projects serving low-income households in jurisdictions with 150,000 or fewer residents.
- $5 million for projects serving moderate-income households in Chelan, Douglas and Okanagan counties.
CHIP application workshop
Commerce hosted a CHIP pre-application workshop on July 10. Materials from the workshop are included here for reference.