Affordable Housing Fund - Contribution Only Funding

Top up your secured funding for the renovation and repair existing affordable and community housing.

IMPORTANT January 6, 2023

Due to overwhelming demand, we’ve reached our budget limit for New Construction applications under the Contribution Only option. Applications for renovations or repairs will still be accepted.

IMPORTANT

On November 21, the 2023 Fall Economic Statement announced the renaming of the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) to the Affordable Housing Fund with an additional funding of $1 billion over 3 years, starting in 2025-26, to build more affordable housing.

Funding is still available. The federal government intends to announce reforms to the Affordable Housing Fund in early 2024.

Contribution Only Funding through the Affordable Housing Fund supports organizations that have already partnered and secured funding but require more capital. It can be used to:

top-up funding – when you have most of your project funding secured and require top-up funding to close a funding gap
leverage other funding sources – get funding confirmation within 30 days of being prioritized that can then be used to secure funding from other sources

Contribution Funding provides:

an unsecured contribution that facilitates seamless integration into project financing structures. This can make it easier for you to attract other sources of funding.
more certainty on funding amounts,* Please refer to the Project Assessment Workbook for more details.

* The Affordable Housing Fund - Contribution funding amounts are based on lesser of per unit calculation, project needs or percentage of costs (PTs/municipalities = 30%, Non-profits/coops = 40%).

Loans Versus Contributions
Apply for a loan	Apply for a contribution
When you need a larger sum of money. This loan provides long-term, low-interest terms and is repaid on a monthly schedule within a specific period. You can also qualify for a forgivable or non-repayable loan.	When you need a top-up to close funding gaps. Contributions are non-repayable.

Am I eligible?

Application and approval process

Once received, your application will be reviewed for readiness, eligibility and completion.

We will contact you if additional documentation or clarifications are required before starting the assessment and prioritization of your application.

PRO TIP: Review the required documentation (PDF) needed throughout the process.

You will hear from CMHC within approximately 5 days of submitting your application.

To effectively create your application:

Talk to your CMHC specialist to help you gather the required documentation (see the Required Documentation Checklist (PDF) and Program Highlight and Funding Eligibility Sheet (PDF)).
You must submit the Project Assessment Workbook (XLSX), the Integrity Declaration (PDF) as well as the Accessibility Attestation (PDF) and the Energy Efficiency Attestation (PDF).
Submit your application in the application portal after you have received confirmation from your CMHC specialist.

Approval process and timelines

1. Prioritization and assessment (up to 30 days from your application submission)
We will prioritize and assess applications on:

project readiness (projects selected are expected to start construction within 6 months)
achievement of National Housing Strategy social outcomes
projects serving or targeting National Housing Strategy priority groups
current affordable housing funding (applications with more co-funding will be prioritized over other applications)

2. Contribution funding commitment (up to 30 days once your project has been prioritized)
You’ll receive a contribution agreement confirming CMHC’s conditional approval of funding for the project if your application is deemed complete.

3. Meet funding conditions (you have up to 6 months to satisfy all conditions)
Your CMHC Specialist will continue to work with you to meet all conditions outlined in the agreement. You must satisfy conditions within the set time frame, or you may be at risk of a cancellation of the application or changes to CMHC’s funding commitment.

4. First advance (required documentation must be provided 10 days before each draw down date)
The Contribution Agreement will outline the process and any supporting documentation needed to request an advance from CMHC.