New PHFA Housing Policy Fellowship Created
Fellowship will fund research and leadership development in housing field
HARRISBURG, PA – With the goal of funding critical research and promoting leadership development, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today announced the creation of a new Housing Policy Fellowship.
The fellowship will fund a maximum of 12 months of research and study on a pressing housing or community development topic. With a monthly stipend of $1,000, the maximum funding available will be $12,000. The financial support can be for a variety of activities supporting the approved research, including interviews with experts, securing resources and study materials, travel for attending relevant conferences and more.
This fellowship is intended to benefit the housing field by underwriting research on subjects that currently present housing or community development challenges. A secondary benefit of the fellowship will be its investment in an individual to promote their growth as a housing leader. The fellowship will produce documented findings that will be publicly available for everyone’s benefit.
“If we are satisfied with the results from this fellowship, we envision this becoming an annual occurrence that can help the housing field in a number of ways,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Brian A. Hudson. “Of course, the research findings will be of most interest initially. But we think the financial support for budding leaders in the housing field will provide long-term benefits, as well.”
The fellowship application is available on the agency’s website at www.PHFA.org; look under the “News” tab in the upper-left corner of the homepage, and then scroll down to “Housing Policy News.” All legal residents of the state over the age of 18 are eligible to apply, excluding PHFA staff and board members. All applications will be reviewed by PHFA staff according to the fellowship criteria, which are outlined in the application.
The fellowship application deadline is 3 p.m. on Sept. 6.
Questions about the fellowship may be directed to Bryce Maretzki at PHFA at 717.780.1867 or bmaretzki@phfa.org.
About PHFA
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $14.2 billion of funding for more than 175,900 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 134,507 rental units, and saved the homes of more than 49,725 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.
