Ramsey County opens Emerging and Diverse Developers solicitation; applications due Oct. 31

Jerica Gomez, multifamily development specialist and project manager for Ramsey County's Emerging and Diverse Developers program, told a webinar audience that the county has published an EDD solicitation and will accept applications through Oct. 31, with review and underwriting to follow and award notices planned for Dec. 15.

The solicitation is intended for smaller-scale housing developers. Gomez said projects that exceed 25 housing units or 15,000 square feet of commercial space are not eligible for the EDD solicitation and that projects must be located in Saint Paul or suburban Ramsey County (Ramsey County awards cannot fund projects in North Saint Paul because the city’s HRA did not adopt the county arrangement). “This solicitation was published on 09/08/2025, and our responses are due by October 31, Halloween at 04:30,” Gomez said in the webinar.

Why it matters: the EDD solicitation is part of Ramsey County’s effort to expand opportunities for emerging and diverse developers to participate in affordable housing development by pairing technical assistance with deferred loan capital. Applicants who are part of the county’s cohort or who secure technical assistance earlier in the process increase their competitiveness, county staff said.

Key details attendees were told: - Funding uses: predevelopment with ownership, new construction, acquisition with rehab, or rehab of properties already owned by the applicant. Predevelopment funding is structured as a loan that converts to a grant once a project breaks ground. - Loan sizes and limits: Gomez said the county’s deferred loan range is typically $100,000 to $500,000 and that awards over $25,000 are subject to prevailing-wage rules. She cautioned applicants that Ramsey County expects projects to have other underwriting (for example a first mortgage, construction financing or committed equity) because county staff resources for project oversight are limited. - Scoring: strategic alignment is the largest single factor (40 points), followed by affordability (25 points), financial feasibility (25 points) and organizational capacity (10 points). Gomez advised applicants to reference county plans—such as the Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion plan and the Equitable Development Framework—in their strategic-alignment answers. - Affordability: the county scores projects by the average AMI of the proposed units; projects that average more than 80% AMI are not fundable under this solicitation. Market-rate units may be included but will lower a project’s average AMI. - Timeline: applications due Oct. 31; application review begins Nov. 4; underwriting review begins Nov. 20; award notices Dec. 15; board review Dec. 16; closing conversations may begin as early as Jan. 1.

How to apply: Gomez demonstrated the Ramsey County EDD landing page and said the application is submitted through the Neighborly portal; the webinar will include a recorded walkthrough of the multifamily workbook. She also said applicants should upload a complete multifamily workbook (pro forma) and other required documents to be scored.

Quote: “You will not be able to alter your workbook specifics after October 31,” Gomez said, emphasizing the importance of submitting complete, accurate workbooks and commitment documentation.

Next steps: applicants should review the document library on the Neighborly application page, complete the five required initial materials (multifamily workbook/pro forma, completed application, acknowledgment letter, lobbying certification, attestation regarding ownership thresholds) and submit any questions through the webinar chat so staff can add answers to the solicitation’s FAQ addendum.