How it works Fundability asks one question: could a LIHTC project at this address realistically win 9% credits from Georgia DCA? It counts only what DCA scores or rules on. Community need and opportunity are measured by the team's separate Need and Opportunity tools. Location points. SiteLine scores the QAP's eight location criteria (§XI–§XXII, up to 46 points) at every 0.25-mile grid point in the 11 Atlanta Regional Commission counties. A lookup uses the nearest grid point; the map shows each tract's best point. Deal points. The deal checklist turns the QAP's developer criteria (readiness, compliance, financing, services and the rest) into points with the QAP's own values. Until you fill it in, the estimate assumes a typical funded deal: the 48.5-point median claimed by funded ARC applications in 2024–2025. Chance of an award. Location plus deal is an estimated DCA score. A logistic model fit on past 9% applications turns how far that score sits above or below the pool's typical applicant into a probability. What to do next. For the site you look up, every unchecked item is ranked by the points and the chance it would add. After you fill in the checklist, the tracts where your deal has the best chance are listed under it. Why the map shows location only The backtest (see Why these weights) found that SiteLine's location score, driven by transit (§XII) and schools (§XIII), is the only location measure that predicted which ARC applications DCA funded. So the map's color is SiteLine's points alone, ranked across tracts. Basis boost, recent local awards, LIHTC saturation and flood risk are shown beside a result as context: they matter for a deal, but didn't predict awards. Reading a result Chance of a 9% awardThe model's probability for the estimated score in this site's pool. Estimated scoreLocation points here plus your deal points (or the typical funded deal). Funding lineThe lowest score DCA funded in this pool in the latest round. ContextRules outside the point score: basis boost, tiebreakers, award limits, flood review.
Scoring systems How DCA scores a 9% application under the 2024–2025 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), and how this tool handles each part. In the 2024 and 2025 rounds, competing applications scored from about 66 to 89, with a median near 81, so small point differences decide awards. Page numbers refer to the QAP. 1. Location criteria: scored by SiteLine, as provided QAP sectionMaxHow points are earnedHow this tool assesses it §XI Desirable / Undesirable Activities p. 9520 18 amenity types (grocery, pharmacy, park, school, library, bank…). Within 0.5 / 1.0 / 1.5 mi: 2.5 / 2 / 1.5 pts (group 1) or 2 / 1.5 / 1 (group 2). −2 per nuisance or hazard within 0.25 mi; −2 in a food desert with no grocery. Capped at 20. SiteLine measures distance from the spot to each amenity (straight line × 1.15 as a route estimate) using SNAP retailers, Overture places, parks, hospitals, childcare, and EPA / GA EPD hazard sites. §XII Community Transportation Options p. 996 Transit hub within 0.25 / 0.5 / 1 mi = 5 / 4.5 / 4; any stop = 3 / 2 / 1. 6 pts only if a transit agency owns the site. SiteLine uses agency GTFS feeds (stops served 5+ days a week). The 6th point is a deal fact, not scored. §XIII Quality Education Areas p. 1023 K–12 grades zoned to schools passing DCA's quality tests (CCRPI above state average, “Beating the Odds”, or rising scores). 13 grades = 3, 7–12 = 1.5, 3–6 = 1. SiteLine finds the zoned elementary, middle and high school for the spot. §XV Stable Communities p. 11010 Tract above its pool median on 2 / 3 / 4+ of 5 HUD indicators (environmental health, transit, jobs, poverty, income) = 6 / 8 / 10 pts; 1 less when borrowing a nearby tract. Part of the 10-point block. SiteLine reads DCA's tract flags. §XVI Community Designations p. 11110 Inside a HUD Choice Neighborhoods or Purpose Built Communities area, if that group selects the project. Part of the 10-point block. SiteLine checks the spot against those areas. §XVIII Previous Projects p. 1135 No LIHTC award in the city in 15 years = 5 (one older award = 4); or no award within 1 mi recently = 3 / 2. SiteLine counts past awards (HUD database plus DCA lists) by city and distance. §XIX Housing Needs Characteristics p. 11510 Other Metro pool only: not a QCT, 45%+ of low-income renters with severe housing problems, growing county = 5; +5 if §XV also earns 5+. Part of the 10-point block. SiteLine uses HUD CHAS for the tract. Blank in the Atlanta Metro pool. §XXII Historic Preservation p. 1172 Inside a National Register historic district (and uses historic tax credits). SiteLine checks NPS district boundaries. The 10-point block: §XV, §XVI, §XIX (and §XIV, below) are mutually exclusive; only the highest counts. That's why SiteLine's maximum is 46 rather than the 66 the sections add up to. 2. Developer criteria: the deal checklist These depend on the deal, not the site, so they aren't on the map. The checklist asks about each one and adds the points to SiteLine's for a full application estimate. QAP sectionMaxWhat earns it §VIII Readiness to Proceed13Zoning, utilities, financing commitments, environmental report, cost estimate, market study in hand §VI Compliance Performance10Starts at 10; deductions for the team's past compliance problems §XIV Revitalization / Redevelopment Plans10Site in a qualifying local plan area (+1 if also a QCT), community partnerships, investment. Part of the 10-point block. §III Extended Affordability6Give up the right to exit affordability early; resident ownership plan; nonprofit right of first refusal §V Favorable Financing5Below-market loans and grants; ground lease or tax abatement §VII Integrated Supportive Housing5Referral agreements, rental assistance, tenant preferences §XVII Phased Development4A later phase of an earlier DCA project (instead of §XVIII) §IX Deeper Targeting3Lower average income targeting, or project-based rental assistance §IV, §X, §XXI, §XXIII, §XXIV1–2 eachMinority- and women-owned business engagement, voucher notices, mixed income, resident services, GICH letter 3. Rules outside the point score: shown as context RuleQAP referenceWhy it matters Basis boost (QCT / DDA)Core Plan §V, p. 15; IRC §42(d)(5)(B)Up to 30% more eligible basis, so more credits per project Tiebreakers and award limitsCore Plan §V, pp. 21–22Ties go to the local government with the oldest last award; at most 2 Metro Pool awards per local government per round Market feasibilityThreshold §IV, p. 42Capture rate of 30% or less in Metro Pools and no harm to existing tax-credit properties, or the application fails Environmental reviewThreshold §VI, p. 44Floodplains and floodways add cost and risk. Shown as a warning at the exact spot from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer: it's pass/fail at DCA, not points
Limits Location is only part of DCA's score; developer criteria often decide close rounds. The deal checklist is an estimate from the QAP's point rules. DCA's own review of each item decides the real score. SiteLine's data is a 2026 snapshot; past rounds used older data and slightly different QAPs. A new QAP could change the scale. HUD's LIHTC database stops around 2019; recent awards come from SiteLine's DCA award list. Flood risk is a warning, not part of the score. The address lookup uses the nearest 0.25-mile grid point, not an exact rescore. For an exact score, run SiteLine's score_site(lat, lon). Covers 9% new-affordability applications; preservation applications are scored differently and aren't covered.