Ohio Opens $45.6M Welcome Home Round for Columbus Nonprofits

The Ohio Department of Development opened its latest Welcome Home Ohio grant round on August 13, making $45.6 million available to nonprofits and local governments — including the City of Columbus and Franklin County — to buy foreclosed homes or fund rehab and new construction for income-qualified buyers. The program was authorized by House Bill 96, the state biennium budget, and signed by Governor Mike DeWine in 2025.

Two Pools, One Goal

The $45.6 million is split into two equal pieces of $22.8 million each.

The first pool covers foreclosure purchases: eligible entities can apply for grants to buy residential properties at foreclosure sales. The goal is to intercept foreclosed homes before they sit vacant or move to investors and keep them on a path to owner-occupancy.

The second pool covers rehabilitation and new construction: grants fund the cost of rehabbing existing homes or building new ones. Properties funded through either pool must ultimately be sold to qualifying homebuyers — the program is designed for permanent homeownership, not rentals or land banking.

"Welcome Home Ohio hasn't just opened doors for more communities to capitalize on Ohio's momentum, it has changed the lives of countless families who may have felt homeownership just wasn't possible," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development, as reported by the Ironton Tribune and Logan Daily.

Who Can Apply

The program distinguishes between two categories of eligible entities:

Qualified nonprofit developers are Ohio nonprofit corporations engaged in community development activities, with community improvement as their primary purpose. Columbus's network of community development corporations — organizations active in neighborhoods like Franklinton, the Near East Side, Linden, and the South Side — fits this definition.

Electing subdivisions are local governments that have formally adopted the program's procedures by ordinance (municipalities) or resolution (townships and counties). The City of Columbus and Franklin County are both eligible to apply as electing subdivisions.

Why the Columbus Market Makes This Round Timely

Franklin County home sales cooled in early August as the 30-year mortgage rate climbed to 6.69% — a yearlong high. At that rate, fewer buyers can qualify for the metro's median-priced home, estimated at $329,900 in the most recent Franklin County Auditor weekly sales report.

That affordability gap is unlikely to close through rate movement alone. Programs that directly reduce the purchase price or rehabilitation cost — by layering a grant on top of a conventional mortgage — are among the few mechanisms available to move lower-income buyers into ownership in the current rate environment.

Welcome Home Ohio is not a down payment assistance program for individual buyers. It funds the intermediaries — nonprofits and local governments — who acquire, renovate, and sell properties at prices the market alone would not produce. That distinction matters: Columbus CDCs and city programs have to apply and win the grant before any individual buyer sees the benefit.

Program History and Prior Rounds

Welcome Home Ohio has run multiple rounds since the program launched. The Ohio Department of Development previously announced a $26.9 million round and an earlier $65.6 million round for the same program. The total biennium allocation through HB 96 is $91.2 million, according to Ohio Department of Development program guidelines.

This $45.6 million round runs concurrent with the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program's $120 million application window, which opened August 11 and runs through September 11. Columbus-area community development organizations are navigating both grant programs this month.

How to Apply

Applications go through the Ohio Department of Development. Program guidelines and application materials are available at development.ohio.gov. Columbus nonprofits and city officials seeking program guidance can contact the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Community Development.

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*Sources: Ironton Tribune (primary, dated today) · Business Journal Daily · Logan Daily · Ohio Department of Development program guidelines · Governor.ohio.gov — prior round*