Neighborhood Assistance Program Grants – May 29

Posted by PA Department of Community and Economic Development on March 24, 2026

The Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) and Neighborhood Assistance Program – Enterprise Zone (NAP-EZP) are both now accepting applications for the 2026-27 funding round, and will close on Friday, May 29^th at 5:00 PM. Guidelines can be found on our website along with additional program resources. Applications are submitted through the State Enterprise eGrants System.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has eliminated the contributor letter this year and replaced it with a required ‘Contributor Commitment Agreement Form’, which is a standardized and fillable form that requests the same information as the contributor letter did in previous years. Applicants will still be required to obtain any and all agreement forms and attach them with their applications prior to submission. Both applicants and businesses need to sign that agreement form. The new form is also included in the guidelines as ‘Appendix D’. Any contribution agreement forms received after the application deadline will not be considered for funding.

Contributor’s must still file the Electronic Tax Clearance Form for Tax Credits prior to May 29^th. Instructions for businesses on filling out this form are in the Business Contributor Handbook.

2026-27 Project Priorities

In FY2026-27, the Department will prioritize applications that align with the vision and goals of newly developed Governor’s Commonwealth’s Housing Action Plan & Economic Development Strategy in addition to childcare. These priorities include:

• Affordable Housing Development
• Affordable Housing Support Services
• Access to Affordable and Reliable Childcare

General Program Notes

NAP is a tax credit program to encourage businesses to invest in projects which improve distressed areas. The NAP program is exclusively for 501(c)(3) organizations and helps those nonprofits complete vital community projects by providing tax credits to businesses that contribute to those efforts. The goals of NAP are to provide resources to assist neighborhoods and communities with fiscal difficulties, encourage positive health outcomes, and address the safety and welfare of their residents. As a result, NAP encourages communities to pursue and achieve fiscal well-being and self-sufficiency. These Programs are intended to benefit low-income populations. Applicants’ proposed projects must not result in the displacement or forced relocation of low-income individuals or households.

Eligible NAP activities include Affordable Housing Programs, Community and Civic Engagement, Community Economic Development, Community Services, Crime Prevention, Education, Job Training, Neighborhood Assistance, Neighborhood Conservation, and Transportation. Project activities must occur within a 15-month activity window, starting July 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027.

Eligible projects must be geographically specific and serve a low-income population. Within the NAP program there are four subprograms – Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP)(65% tax credit), Special Program Priorities (SPP)(90% tax credit), Neighborhood Partnership Program (NPP)(90-95% tax credit) and Charitable Food Program (CFP)(65% tax credit).

The Contributor Handbook is a helpful document for current and potential business partners that provides relevant information regarding contributing through NAP. Additionally, you can find EZP and NAP checklists, guidelines, previous awards, and other resources on the NAP webpage. There are now unique checklists for each of the NAP sub-programs.

Guidelines can also be directly accessed below:

• NAP 
• EZP

The EZP is an incentive program that provides tax credits to businesses or private companies investing in rehabilitating, expanding, or improving buildings or land located within designated enterprise zones. EZP is a separate application process, and exclusively available to businesses. A listing of active Enterprise Zones can be found here.

As always please contact DCED with any questions or reply here directly. You can also reach out directly to DCED Customer Service Center at 1-800-379-7448 or 717-787-3405 if you have technical issues with entering your application or logging in to your account. The NAP Resource Account is also available for assistance: RA-DCEDNAPMAIL@pa.gov.