Applicants will be evaluated and selected, at the sole discretion of the CDFI Fund, to receive assistance based on a review process that may include an interview(s) and/or site visit(s) intended to:
(a) Ensure that Applicants are evaluated on a merit basis and in a fair and consistent manner;
(b) Ensure that each Awardee can successfully meet its leveraging goals and achieve Affordable Housing Activity, Community Service Facility and/or Economic Development Activity impacts;
(c) Ensure that Awardees represent a geographically diverse group of Applicants serving Metropolitan Areas and Underserved Rural Areas across the United States that meet criteria of economic distress, which may include:
(1) The percentage of Low-Income Families or the extent of poverty;
(2) The rate of unemployment or underemployment;
(3) The extent of blight and disinvestment;
(4) Economic Development Activities or Community Service Facilities that target Extremely Low-Income, Very Low-Income, and Low-Income families within the Awardee's Service Area; or
(5) Any other criteria the CDFI Fund shall set forth in the applicable NOFA; and
(d) Take into consideration other factors as described in the applicable NOFA.