PHFA Extends Application Period for 2021 Housing Policy Fellowship

People interested in doing meaningful housing research have until Nov. 13 to apply

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today announced it is extending the deadline for people to apply for its 2021 Housing Policy Fellowship. Now in its second year, the fellowship has the goal of funding critical research in the housing field while also promoting leadership development.

This fellowship will fund a maximum of 12 months of research 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 is 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.

“I think several factors, including the pandemic, combined to limit the number of applicants we had this year,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. “We believe there is tremendous value in this fellowship for both the recipient and the agency. So, in the interest of identifying the best candidate possible, we are going to extend the application period two months to November 13.”

The fellowship application is available on the agency’s homepage at www.PHFA.org; look under News > PHFA News Center > 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 on the website.

The fellowship application deadline will now be 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.

Questions about the fellowship may be directed to Bryce Maretzki at PHFA at 717.780.1867 or bmaretzki@phfa.org, or Raymond Carey at 717.780.1843 or rcarey@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 $14.8 billion of funding for more than 179,850 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 138,000 rental units, distributed more than $121 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of nearly 50,400 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.

Contact:
Scott Elliott
717-649-6522 (cell)
selliott@phfa.org