Please share your thoughts on the CPA Program with this survey.
View the FY21 applications here.
For questions and to submit forms, contact CPA Manager Judith Tumusiime at [email protected]
The CPC is made up of Somerville residents who set the priorities for approximately $2 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds each year and recommend which projects should be funded to the City Council. A general public seat was opened on January 1, 2021 and Somerville residents are invited to share feedback on the applicants' qualifications. Email feedback to the CPA Manager Judith Tumusiime at [email protected] by Friday January 22 at 4:30pm.
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts state law (M.G.L. c. 44B) that enables adopting communities to create a dedicated fund for preserving open space and historic resources and expanding community housing and outdoor recreation opportunities. With the passage of the CPA in November 2012, the City of Somerville joined now 176 other communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a steady funding source dedicated to preserving and improving their character and quality of life. Somerville voters passed the Act by 76%, the second-highest passage rate in CPA history. This achievement has provided Somerville the opportunity to use these resources to become an even more exceptional place to live, work, play, and raise a family. CPA funding comes from residents, through a 1.5% surcharge on local property taxes and a state match.
Since the Community Preservation Committee began accepting project applications in FY15, the Somerville CPA program has allocated over $26 million for eligible projects in all three areas, including $2.96 million in state funds. This money has supported 79 projects: 24 historic resources, 30 open space/recreation land, and 25 housing. For FY19 the minimum allocations were adjusted to 50% for affordable housing, 15% for historic resources, 20% for open space/recreational land, and 10% for undesignated. Undesignated funding can only be awarded to CPA eligible projects in the affordable housing, historic resources, and open space/recreational land categories. These funds are awarded based on the annual demand in each category and the quality of applications submitted.
The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) consists of nine members: four at large members and one representative each from the:
Committee members serve three year terms and can serve up to two terms. The committee set the priorities for approximately $2 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds each year and recommend which projects should be funded to the City Council. More information Community Preservation Committee
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts state law that enables municipalities to create a steady funding source for affordable housing, historic preservation, open space, and recreation land projects.
Community organizations, City departments, and individuals can apply for CPA funding for eligible projects through the annual process managed by the Community Preservation Committee for historic resources and open space/recreation land applications. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund manages the annual process for affordable housing applications.
The funding for CPA comes from three sources:
The City of Somerville Community Preservation Committee designated the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund (SAHTF or Trust) to administer Community Preservation Act (CPA) Community Housing funds. The Trust was created in 1989 by city ordinance, and its first programs began in 1991. Its purpose is to preserve and create affordable rental and homeownership units in Somerville and carry out programs to assist homeowners and renters directly. All of its activities must benefit low and moderate-income households (with incomes at or below 110% of area median income). The projects and programs receiving CPA funds must constitute a CPA allowable spending purpose as defined by the state Department of Revenue. CPA Community Housing eligible uses include the following five categories:
Yes, the 2012 amendments to the Community Preservation Act clarified that rental assistance programs are an eligible CPA community housing application. Projects of this type fall under the “support category” of the allowable uses chart, as defined in section 2 of the CPA legislation:
"Support of Community housing", shall include, but not be limited to, programs that provide grants, loans, rental assistance, security deposits, interest-rate write-downs or other forms of assistance directly to individuals and families who are eligible for community housing, or to an entity that owns, operates or manages such housing, for the purpose of making housing affordable.
Each year, the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund issues Requests for Proposals (RFP)s for community agencies to operate housing programs using CPA and other Trust funds. Examples of the most recent RFPs:
Community agencies that are currently operating housing programs using SAHTF CPA and non-CPA funding include:
The application process for historic resources and open space/recreation land funding has three parts:
Need help understanding the application process? Talk to the CPA Manager and plan to attend an application workshop. You can find the slides from last year's workshop here
Applicants with proposals for housing-only projects or programs should contact the Affordable Housing Trust.
City Land
The CPC receives many requests from community groups for funding for projects on City land. To ensure these projects have the support of the City and are in alignment with City needs and priorities, the CPC requires that property owners be a co-applicant from the eligibility determination form phase for all projects on public lands. To read the City guide for applying for CPA funds for a project on public land, click here. To watch the video from a workshop on the topic, click here.
Preservation Restrictions
The Somerville CPC requires all historic resources projects accept a perpetual historic preservation restriction on the exterior of the building in order to receive funds. The CPA legislation requires that all property acquired with CPA funds be perpetually preserved for the use for which it was acquired, such as putting a conservation restriction on open space acquired with CPA funds. To learn more about preservation restrictions for CPA projects, click here.
Campaign Contribution Disclosure
Per the City of Somerville's Campaign Contribution Ordinance (Section 15-71 to 15-76), all CPA applicants requesting $50,000 or more must disclose their and financial contributions of the members of their leadership to candidates running for office in the City of Somerville. If an individual has contributed $500 or more to any individual candidate or incumbent in either the calendar year of the application or the calendar year preceding the application, they cannot receive a CPA grant.
Permits and Approvals
All CPA funded projects must apply for the necessary permits and approvals, which will vary depending on the scope of your project. You can learn more about what permits may be required for your project on the City's CitizenServe portal or by talking with someone in the Building Division of the Inspectional Services Department. For more information click here
Leveraging Funding
The CPC does not require a match to receive funding; however, the CPC does prioritize projects that leverage funding from multiple sources. And CPA funds can be used as matching funds for other grants! For more information click here
To date, the City has allocated over $26 million for CPA eligible projects across the City. This includes:
The first CPA feasibility study is now complete! The Civic Space Collaborative completed its final report on the feasibility of creating a new dog park in West Somerville. You can read the final report here. Thanks to everyone who came to the public meeting and participated in the online survey.
Have an idea for another feasibility study? Applications are due May 15.
The City of Somerville will complete a utility redesign of the Dilboy Auxiliary Fields (natural grass) that will include drainage, irrigation, and sports lighting to increase the useable hours of the site. The work is underway and began with a survey of the field. The consultants, Warner Larson, are expected to complete the work in February 2019 and construction is expected to begin in the fall. For more information, read the project's CPA application here or contact Luisa Oliveira at [email protected].
Community organizations, City departments, and individuals can apply for CPA funding for eligible projects through the annual process managed by the Community Preservation Committee for historic resources and open space/recreation land applications. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund manages the annual process for affordable housing applications.
Click here to read about the FY20 CPA Projects.
$2,504,337 awarded to 10 projects (5 affordable housing, 2 historic resources, 3 open space/recreation land; 8 community projects, 2 City projects)
Click here to read about the FY19 CPA Projects.
$2,219,049 awarded to 9 projects (4 affordable housing, 5 historic resources, 2 open space/recreation land; 5 community projects, 2 City projects, and 1 joint project; $1 million in funding for ArtFarm pending City Council approval)
Click here to read about the FY18 CPA Projects.
$9,602,409 awarded to 14 projects (5 affordable housing, 2 historic resources, 7 open space/recreation land; 9 community projects and 5 City projects)
Click here to read about the FY17 CPA Projects.
$2,243,122 awarded to 15 projects (3 affordable housing, 4 historic resources, 8 open space/recreation land; 5 community projects, 5 City projects, and 1 joint community/City projects)
Click here to read about the FY16 CPA Projects.
$5,651,423 awarded to 13 projects (4 affordable housing, 5 historic resources, 4 open space/recreation land; 6 community projects, 5 City projects, and 2 joint community/City projects)
Click here to read about the FY15 CPA Projects.
$4,086,987 awarded to 15 projects (4 affordable housing, 7 historic resources, 4 open space/recreation land; 10 community projects and 5 City projects)
¿Quiere aprender sobre el proceso de aplicación en el español? Mira una entrevista sobre el programa aquí.
Want to incorporate arts and/or cultural components in your CPA project? Consider applying for a Local Cultural Council Grant from the Somerville Arts Council. Applications are due in October each year. Learn more here.
The first step in the Community Preservation Act (CPA) application process is to determine if your project is eligible for CPA funding. This chart provides an overview of what types of projects CPA funds can support:
For more detailed information, visit the Community Preservation Coalition and talk with the CPA Manager.
| April |
Virtual Community Preservation Plan hearing and plan development Virtual Pre-application workshop- April 22 at 6:00pm |
|
| May 25 |
Pre-applications due by 4:30pm |
|
| June |
Community Preservation Plan and application materials released |
|
| July 2 & 3 |
Virtual Application Workshops July 3, 1:00pm |
|
| July 17 | Eligibility Determination Forms due by 4:30pm | |
| September 16 | Full applications due by noon
CPC beings evaluation of project proposals |
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| October 28 | Community meeting (date tentative) at 6:30pm | |
| November/December | CPC finalizes evaluation of project proposals CPC sends recommendations to City Council |
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| January/February | City Council considers funding recommendations | |
| March onwards | Grant agreements signed |
For exceptional cases, the CPC will consider emergency requests for funding outside of the regular application cycle. If you think you might be eligible for emergency consideration, please contact the CPA Manager.
Applicants with proposals for housing-only projects or programs should contact the Affordable Housing Trust. The CPC has empowered the Trust to serve as the affordable housing arm of the Committee, so the Trust will receive and evaluate applications for CPA-eligible affordable housing projects and programs. Please contact Heidi Burbidge at [email protected] with questions.
The application process for historic resources and open space/recreation land funding has three parts:
The Full Application: Projects determined eligible through the eligibility determination phase will be invited to submit a full propsoal. Full proposals are due September 16 by 12 noon.
Application instructions: this packet contains all of the information you need to submit an application, once the CPC determines your project is eligible for CPA funding.
Application forms: this packet contains the fillable forms you need to include with your full application.
Need help understanding the application process? Talk to the CPA Manager and plan to attend an application workshop. You can find the slides from last year's workshop here.
Every CPA program in Massachusetts is as unique as its municipality. Each year the Community Preservation Committee sets the funding priorities and minimum funding allocations for the three CPA categories through the Community Preservation Plan. The CPC seeks to fund projects that are consistent with the community's values and use CPA funds strategically. To learn more about the CPC's priorities, read the annual Community Preservation Plans below. To help inform these priorities, come to our annual Community Preservation Plan hearing, typically held in March.
The CPA enabling legislation requires a minimum of 10% be allocated to each category every year and gives each CPC the flexibility to increase these minimums to reflect the priorities in their communities. For FY19, the CPC set the following minimum allocations:
Flexible funds are used to fund CPA eligible projects in the three CPA categories to support requests beyond the minimum allocations and are distributed based on demand and the quality of applications.
CPA projects are often complex, involving many stakeholders and requiring necessary permits and approvals. The CPA Manager is an important resource to help applicants navigate the CPA process. 11 Things to Consider when Developing a Project for CPA Funding can help you walk through the questions you will need to answer as you develop your project idea. We also hope the information below helpful as you develop your application.
If you are looking to get ideas for projects and are curious what others have done, you can visit the Community Preservation Coalition website to learn about CPA projects across Massachusetts and visit the Somerville CPA Projects tab to learn more about projects close to home.
Is this the first time you are writing an application for grant funding? This GuideStar blog has some helpful resources and advice for beginners.
Projects on City Land
The CPC receives many requests from community groups for funding for projects on City land. To ensure these projects have the support of the City and are in alignment with City needs and priorities, the CPC requires that property owners be a co-applicant from the eligibility determination form phase for all projects on public lands. If you have an idea for a project on City land, read this guide to get more information about the process.
Be sure to note that state procurement laws apply to all CPA projects on public land. It's important to factor this in when developing your project, as it may affect your budget and timeline. To read our guide for applying for CPA funds for a project on public land, click here. To watch the video from a workshop on the topic, click here.
Preservation Restrictions
The Somerville CPC requires all historic resources projects accept a perpetual historic preservation restriction on the exterior of the building in order to receive funds. The CPA legislation requires that all property acquired with CPA funds be perpetually preserved for the use for which it was acquired, such as putting a conservation restriction on open space acquired with CPA funds. To learn more about preservation restrictions for CPA projects, click here.
Campaign Contribution Disclosure
Per the City of Somerville's Campaign Contribution Ordinance (Section 15-71 to 15-76), all CPA applicants requesting $50,000 or more must disclose their and financial contributions of the members of their leadership to candidates running for office in the City of Somerville. If an individual has contributed $500 or more to any individual candidate or incumbent in either the calendar year of the application or the calendar year preceding the application, they cannot receive a CPA grant.
All CPA funded projects must apply for the necessary permits and approvals, which will vary depending on the scope of your project. You can learn more about what permits may be required for your project on the City's CitizenServe portal or by talking with someone in the Building Division of the Inspectional Services Department.
Don't forget that CPA funds can be used to help make your site accessible to all and your project may trigger requirements to make your site accessible if it isn't already. You can learn more about Massachusetts' architectural access regulations here.
The CPC does not require a match to receive funding; however, the CPC does prioritize projects that leverage funding from multiple sources. And CPA funds can be used as matching funds for other grants! Not sure where you can find additional funding?
As a result of these projects:
These projects have been implemented by 12 different community organizations (48 projects) and City departments (23 projects). Eight projects are jointly implemented by City departments and community organizations.
Starting in FY17, the Community Preservation Committee began developing a monitoring and evaluation plan to accompany their annual Community Preservation Plan. The purpose of the monitoring and evaluation plan is to help the CPC track the difference CPA is making in Somerville and the trends in housing, historic preservation, and open space in our community. You can find the annual Community Preservation Plans, including the monitoring and evaluation plan, under the Apply for CPA Funding tab.
To learn more about the individual CPA projects, visit the CPA Projects tab.
In FY15, 63% of proposed projects received funding:
In FY16, 50% of proposed projects received funding:
In FY17, 68% of proposed projects received funding:
In FY18, 52% of proposed projects received funding:
Most projects funded were either withdrawn or determined to be ineligible for CPA funding:
You can learn more about the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund on their website. The reports they have submitted to the Community Preservation Committee are below:
Committee Members
The ordinance governing the CPC is available here.
Four members of the Community Preservation Committee are selected from the general public. Because the terms were initially staggered, we will be looking for new members each year from 2017 to 2020. Interested in learning more about what it's like to be on the CPC? You can watch the video from the 2018 information session for prospective CPC applicants here. All CPC members can serve for up to two consecutive terms of three years each. There is a competitive application process for the general public seat. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee with community and City representatives. If you are interested in applying, be on the lookout for calls for applications in the fall.
The other five members of the CPC are appointed, as required by the CPA enabling legislation, from the:
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