What are CHDOs?
HOME regulations require that 15 percent of HOME funds each year must be allocated to projects owned by Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO). The CHDO designation is granted to a nonprofit, community-based service organization whose staff members have the capacity to develop affordable housing for the community it serves. The CHDO designation is tied to the specific role a nonprofit organization plays in a particular project. The nonprofit is responsible for maintaining the capacity to fulfill that role throughout the affordability period of the project.
CHDOs Impact in Alabama
For more information on requirements of a CHDO designation, please review the CHDO Training Capsule.
Qualifying Criteria
A CHDO must be a nonprofit corporation with a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) tax-exempt ruling from the Internal Revenue Service. Please note that the following documents are provided for informational purposes only. Please obtain current forms and publications directly from the IRS.
Becoming a CHDO
2026 CHDO Certification Applications are due to AHFA on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, by 5 p.m. CDT. Only 2026 Applicants with a CHDO Certification Application submitted by the deadline will be considered for the CHDO Set-Aside in the 2026 Competitive Cycle.
For additional information, please contact AHFA at [email protected].
AHFA 2026 CHDO Application Forms and Instructions
All Non-Profit organizations submitting a CHDO application for CHDO status with a new project applying during the competitive cycle, should identify the new project for which the certification is requested. Non-Profit organizations intending to compete for the AHFA CHDO Set-Aside in a Competitive Application Cycle must apply for CHDO Eligibility prior to each Competitive Application Cycle in which they intend to apply.
AHFA 2026 CHDO Recertification Application Forms and Instructions
All Non-Profit organizations with Active previously awarded CHDO projects (within the Compliance period) must recertify those projects annually.
2026 CHDO Certification and Recertification Applications are due to AHFA on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, by 5 p.m. CDT.
AHFA 2025 CHDO Application Forms and Instructions
All Non-Profit organizations submitting a CHDO application for CHDO status with a new project applying during the competitive cycle, should identify the new project for which the certification is requested. Non-Profit organizations intending to compete for the AHFA CHDO Set-Aside in a Competitive Application Cycle must apply for CHDO Eligibility prior to each Competitive Application Cycle in which they intend to apply.
2025 CHDO Recertification Applications are due to AHFA by Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 5 p.m. CDT.