Pierce County is cracking open a short application window for roughly $11 million in local funding, looking for developers who can move fast to expand or preserve affordable rental housing. The money is aimed at projects that acquire, build or rehab rental units for households earning up to 60% of the area median income, and the clock is already ticking for nonprofits, public agencies and private developers that want in.
How to apply and the deadline
According to the county’s Human Services announcement, proposals must go through the county’s OpenGov procurement portal and are due by 2 p.m. on May 15, 2026. The county is also planning a pre-proposal meeting in April to walk applicants through eligibility rules and submission details. The funding targets households earning up to 60% of AMI, which the county pegs at roughly $72,480 for a family of four and about $50,760 for a single person. Selected projects will be expected to deliver new or preserved units within one to four years, according to Pierce County.
Amount, RFP number and eligible uses
A public legal notice puts the total pot at $11,262,189 and labels the solicitation as Request for Proposal 26-001-AHP, Affordable Housing Development & Preservation. The notice specifies that the funds can be used for acquisition, rehabilitation or new construction of rental housing, and that all proposals must be submitted through the county’s OpenGov portal, according to iPublish MarketPlace.
Who this serves and why it matters
Local reporting and county documents show the money comes from the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing sales-tax fund, a one‑tenth‑of‑1% levy approved in 2023 that has become a key tool for “deeply affordable” housing. That tax has already helped seed millions for local projects and preservation work, part of an ongoing push to chip away at Pierce County’s shortage of affordable rentals, as reported by KNKX.
What applicants should know
Prospective applicants can review the full solicitation and submit proposals through the county’s OpenGov procurement portal at OpenGov, where the RFP documents, step-by-step submission guidance and key dates are posted. For questions or media inquiries, the county lists Kari Moore, Communications Manager, as the point of contact in its public announcement, per Pierce County.
