Not stated in the QAP, Self-Scoring Worksheet, or Methodology Guide, and no published historical award data was located during this review. Only the minimum eligibility thresholds are stated: 80 points for competitive 9% credit-ceiling requests, 30 points for the RD/Small Projects set-aside, and 40 points for 4% HTCs paired with tax-exempt bonds. In practice, MN's process is not a strict highest-score-wins ranking alone — Chapter 5.C states MH "will first rank proposals" by score and then applies further review (feasibility, funding amount requested, available resources, geographic distribution, timely-completion ability) to select among top-ranked proposals, so realized winning scores likely run above the 80-point floor but no specific figure is documented in the sources reviewed.
Select a category to read its scoring criteria.
01Large Family Housing
15 pts+
Family housing not restricted to age 55+, with owner agreeing to market to families with minor children: 12 points if ≥75% of units have 2+ bedrooms (with ≥1/3 of those 3+ bedrooms); plus 3 additional points if ≥1/3 of the required 3+BR units are 4+ bedrooms.
02Senior Housing
8 pts+
Housing restricted to age 55+: 2-4 points scaled by the % of units age-restricted (80% to 100%), plus 1-4 additional points if a share of those units is further restricted to ≤30% MTSP income (5% to 100% of units); this income-restriction sub-criterion cannot be combined with the Rental Assistance further-restriction criterion for the same units.
03Permanent Supportive Housing for Households Experiencing Homelessness
37 pts+
High Priority Homeless (HPH) units set aside via the Coordinated Entry System: 7-30 points scaled by % of units (5-9.99% min 4 units = 7 pts, up to 50-100% min 20 units = 30 pts). Plus 5-7 additional points for 'Other Homeless' units (institution leavers/non-CES-referred) layered onto a qualifying HPH project. Cannot be claimed for the same units as People with Disabilities.
04People with Disabilities (PWD)
19 pts+
Tier 1 (general PWD set-aside, ≥5% of units at ≤30% MTSP income): 7-10 points by %. Tier 2 (PWD units using HUD Section 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance, capped at 11 units and a 25% total-supportive-housing-unit cap): 15-19 points by %. Cannot be claimed for the same units as Permanent Supportive Housing/HPH.
05Preservation
45 pts+
Requires meeting one of three risk-of-loss thresholds (market-rate conversion risk, critical physical needs, or ownership-capacity/program-commitment risk). Tier 1 (existing project-based federal rental assistance ≥15 years old): 20-40 points by % of units assisted. OR Tier 2 (other existing federal/state/local rent-restricted units, no rental assistance, ≥15 years old, ≤60% MTSP rents on ≥50% of units): 15 points. Plus 3-5 additional points for severity of documented critical physical needs (>$15,000 or >$25,000 per unit).
06Rental Assistance
26 pts+
Project-based rental assistance commitment (new, or a transfer executed within 15 years): 6-19 points scaled by % of units covered. Plus 3-7 additional points ('Further Restricting Rental Assistance') for further restricting those units to ≤30% MTSP income for a 15-year period. Cannot be claimed if the project is a Preservation Tier 1 type.
07Serves Lowest Income Tenants/Rent Reduction
20 pts+
Rent-only restriction (no added income restriction) to ≤50% MTSP on 50-100% of units: 8-13 points. Plus 4-7 additional points for further restricting a share of those units to ≤30% MTSP rent. Cannot be combined with units carrying rental assistance, HUD 811 PRA, or Preservation Tier 1/2 status.
08Long-Term Affordability
9 pts+
Extending the LURA (or deferred loan declaration) term beyond the standard 30 years and waiving Qualified Contract rights: 8 points for a 40-year term, 9 points for a 50-year term.
09Access to More Affordable Housing
6 pts+
Project location scored on a 3-tier methodology based on the share of cost-burdened renters and relative scarcity of affordable rental housing in the community (2-6 points); Tribal Reservations/Dakota Communities/Tribal trust lands automatically qualify as Tier 1 (6 points).
10Workforce Housing Communities
6 pts+
Location in or near (within 5 miles Metro / 10 miles Greater MN) a community with strong job growth: Top Job Center or 5-year net job-growth community (6 pts), Individual Employer Growth community with 100+ net new jobs in 5 years (6 pts), or Long Commute community (3 pts).
11Transit and Walkability
9 pts+
Composite of Access to Transit (2-7 points depending on transit type, frequency, and distance) plus Walkability (1-2 points based on Walk Score), with separate methodologies for the Metro Area (Minneapolis/St. Paul vs. suburban) and Greater Minnesota urbanized areas.
12Community Development Initiative
3 pts+
Project supports active implementation of a documented, stakeholder-driven local Community Development Initiative (a neighborhood/city/county plan naming affordable housing as a key strategy, with defined target area, implementation plan, and stakeholder roles); additional non-housing investment documentation required if the project is in a QCT.
13Equitable Development
3 pts+
Project responds to the needs of a defined 'Community Most Impacted' (CMI) by housing disparities via meaningful participation of an independent 'Qualified Stakeholder Group' (QSG): requires a documented CMI/QSG relationship, at least two prior engagement sessions, QSG involvement in design/services/community-benefits decisions, and a signed QSG support letter.
14Rural/Tribal
8 pts+
Location in a Rural/Tribal Designated Area outside the Metro Area, tiered inversely by community population: ≤2,000 population (incl. Tribal Reservations/Dakota Communities/Tribal trust lands) = 8 pts; 2,001-5,000 = 6 pts; 5,001-10,000 = 5 pts; >10,000 = 4 pts.
15Qualified Census Tracts/Community Revitalization or Tribal Equivalent Areas
3 pts+
3 points for location in a Qualified Census Tract that is part of a concerted community-revitalization plan, OR location in a Tribal Equivalent Area (geography-only qualification, no additional plan required).
16Multifamily Award History
4 pts+
4 points if the project is located in a community that has not received a Minnesota Housing Consolidated RFP/HTC award (or a 4% HTC award tied to MMB tax-exempt bonding authority) in the last five years; LMIR-only-financed communities are excluded from disqualifying a location.
17Black-, Indigenous-, People of Color-owned or Women-owned Business Enterprises (BIPOCBE/WBE)
20 pts+
Layered points across three sub-criteria: (a) Ownership/Sponsorship by a Tribe/Tribal entity or BIPOCBE (8 pts), WBE (5 pts), or nonprofit BIPOCBE/WBE (4 pts); (b) development-team roles (GC, architect, developer, service provider, mgmt agent) held by BIPOCBE/WBE firms, scaled 1-7 points by number/type of firms; and/or (c) documented capacity-building partnerships with a BIPOCBE/WBE entity, 1-4 points by ownership stake or scope of work.
18Local Actions to Support Housing
2 pts+
New for the Amended 2026-2028 SSW (effective 2026 Consolidated RFP/2027 HTC round and after): 2 points if the project's local jurisdiction has adopted at least one of eight listed zoning/land-use reforms reducing barriers to housing (e.g., by-right multifamily in commercial zones, missing-middle housing in single-family zones, reduced parking mandates, smaller minimum lot sizes, fewer aesthetic mandates, density bonuses for affordable housing, or inclusionary zoning).
19Financial Readiness to Proceed/Leveraged Funds
16 pts+
Points scaled to the percentage of Total Development Cost covered by committed, non-amortizing-first-mortgage, non-current-HTC-syndication capital sources (grants, TIF, deferred loans, GP cash, seller loans, deferred developer fee, etc.): 4 points at 1.51-3.0% of TDC, rising to 16 points at ≥10.51% of TDC.
20Other Contributions
10 pts+
Points scaled to the percentage of Total Development Cost from non-capital contributions (land donation/write-down, in-kind work/materials, local fee waivers, discounted long-term land leases, TIF/PILOT used as an operating subsidy, etc.): 2 points at 0.01-1.49% of TDC, rising to 10 points at ≥6.00%.
21Intermediary Costs
4 pts+
Points scaled inversely to third-party intermediary service costs as a percentage of Total Development Cost: 4 points at 0-15%, down to 1 point at 25.1-30%.
22Innovative Construction Techniques
3 pts+
3 points (via required pre-application) for a novel construction technique projected to cut total construction cost by ≥10% and/or construction time by ≥20%, that is atypical for MH-funded projects, is replicable/scalable, and is followed by a publicly-released lessons-learned report after completion.
23Universal Design
3 pts+
3 points if 100% of units in an elevator building (or at least 10% of units in a non-elevator building) meet the Universal Design Unit definition — all Minimum Essential Universal Design Features plus 8 (new construction/adaptive reuse) or 4 (rehab) Optional Features, or a Type A accessible unit.
24Enhanced Sustainability
12 pts+
Tiered green-building points beyond the mandatory ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction certification: Tier 1 (2x the minimum Minnesota Overlay to EGCC Optional Criteria points) = 2 pts; Tier 2 (3x minimum) = 4 pts; Tier 3 (SB 2030 Energy Standard, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, or an EGCC 5.1b Performance Pathway ERI threshold) = 6 pts; Tier 4 (Passive House Institute/PHIUS/Living Building Challenge-family certification) = 8 pts. Tiers 1 or 2 may be combined with Tier 3 or 4 for a maximum of 12 points.
