Bi-weekly list of funding and learning opportunities in rural America.

Quick Links to COVID-19 Resources

Additional COVID-19 resources are featured in the categories below.

Funding Opportunities

Rural Infrastructure

HRSA Telehealth Network Grant Program
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is providing grants to promote rural tele-emergency services with an emphasis on tele-stroke, tele-behavioral health, and Tele-Emergency Medical Services. Application Deadline: June 15, 2020

Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD)
USDA Rural Development is accepting applications for projects that support regional economic and community development planning. Funding is authorized through a Farm Bill provision for applications submitted through Community Facilities Loans, Grants and Loan Guarantees, Water and Waste Disposal Program Loans, Grants and Loan Guarantees, and Business & Industry Program Loan Guarantees. Specific requirements and application deadlines apply. Funds must be obligated by June 30, 2020

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program
USDA Rural Development is providing grants to help rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Application Deadline: July 13, 2020 via grants.gov

Federal Communications Commission COVID-19 Telehealth Program
Federal Communications Commission is providing funds for the adoption of a telehealth program to support healthcare providers respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Application Deadline: Open

Federal Communications Commission High Speed Broadband/Rural Opportunity Fund
The Federal Communications Commission is providing funds to bring high speed fixed broadband service to rural homes and small businesses that lack access. Application Deadline: Open

Quick Links to COVID-19 Resources Related to Rural Infrastructure:

• EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance
• Department of Transportation Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
• US Health & Human Services COVID-19 Workforce Toolkit
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response​

Economic Development

Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP)
USDA Rural Development Is providing loans help rural families and small businesses achieve cost savings by providing loans to qualified consumers to implement durable cost-effective energy efficiency measures. Letter of Intent (Required) Deadline: Open

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Advance Loan and Advance 
U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance applications on a limited basis only to provide relief to U.S. agricultural businesses which includes those businesses engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries. Other SBA Relief Options. Application Deadline: Open

FY 2020 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs (PWEAA)
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is providing resources to economically distressed communities and regions to help finance construction, non-construction, planning, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects. Application Deadline: Ongoing

IMLS CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) program to support the role of museums and libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Application Deadline: June 12, 2020

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Planning (RCORP-Planning)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding to rural communities to enhance capacity to address substance use disorder to conduct planning activities, engage multi-sector consortiums and participate in the RCORP-Planning learning collaborative. Application Deadline: July 13, 2020

Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP)
USDA Rural Development program intended to increase significantly the sale and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. Application Deadline: August 13, 2020

Quick Links to COVID-19 Resources to Support Rural Economic Development:

• Appalachian Regional Commission Coronavirus Resources 
• Census Preparedness and Pandemic Resources
• Small Business Administration (SBA) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) overview of Local & Regional Food Funding

Tribal-Specific

Indian Community Development Block Grant
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is providing funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic for emergencies that constitute imminent threats to health and safety. Notice PIH 2020-11. Application Deadline: Open

Supporting Tribal Public Health Capacity/Coronavirus Response
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a new, non-competitive grant to support the tribal public health system respond to COVID-19. Applications Deadline: May 31, 2020

Native American Agriculture Fund Grants The Native American Agriculture Fund is providing grants for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and advocacy services to invest in projects that help Native farmers and ranchers improve food systems in Indian Country. Application Deadline: June 1, 2020

IMLS CARES Act Grants for Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum and Library Services
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is providing funds to assist Indian Tribes and organizations to help Native Hawaiians and Native American communities respond to the coronavirus pandemic.. Application Deadline: June 12, 2020

State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is re-opening this program for projects that will help respond to the coronavirus pandemic through measurable improvements to public health and/or the environment. Application Deadline: June 30, 2020

Quick Links to COVID-19 Resources to Support Tribal Entities:

• Coronavirus Pandemic: FEMA Assistance for Tribal Governments
• Bureau of Indian Affairs: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak Webpage
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Native American Programs COVID-19 Recovery Programs
• Indian Health Service: COVID-19 Information
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Tribal Communities-Plan, Prepare & Respond
• NCAI Tribal Resources: CARES Act

Publications

COVID-19 Demographic and Economic Resources
The Census Bureau has released an interactive data hub including COVID-19 resources providing users demographic risk factor variables along with economic data on 20 key industries impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households & Supplemental Data from April 2020 The Federal Reserve Board released an annual report that draws from the Board’s seventh annual Survey of Household Economics and Decision Making. This resource also provides data on how households fared near the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and highlights financial concerns for many households that predates the public health crisis.

SCORE Coronavirus Small Business Resource Hub
SCORE, funded through U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), offers a variety of business and marketing tools to help small businesses adapt through unprecedented challenges.

U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal
Harvard Business School's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, and the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Economic Development Administration provide this tool to illustrate more than 50 million open data records on industry clusters and regional business environments enabling promotion of economic growth.

Feeding Kids When Schools are Closed
USDA provides this resource on nutrition programs and meal service options available for children during the coronavirus pandemic.

Event Opportunities

Too Important to Fail: Minority-Owned Businesses Navigating COVID-19 and Beyond
May 27 | Webinar
Federal Reserve Bank of New York is providing this course on recovery options for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Exploring Census Data: Education Statistics
May 27 | Webinar
The U.S. Census Bureau is providing practical ways to use education data from business and demographic programs.

CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series
May 28 | The Landscape of Food Systems Finance
July 30 | Neighborhood Revitalization Through Food Systems Finance
Sept 29 | Financing Food Systems Entrepreneurs
Council of Development Finance Agency (CDFA) is providing a free online series that aims to advance opportunities and leverage existing capital financing streams for rural communities. that scale local and regional food systems and increase access to better food while creating new living wage jobs in communities across the country.

National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) Conference
June 8-9 I Virtual Event
NARC will host sessions on economic recovery, public health, transit, and more.

Utilizing Federal Data to Measure the Digital Divide
June 17 | Webinar
National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BroadbandUSA is providing this webinar learning opportunity on federal data sources, current trends and how to access local information on broadband efforts. This webinar will feature NTIA and U.S. Census Bureau data findings.

Newsletters, websites and emails from which we gather this information include:

• USDA Rural Development’s full Catalog of Programs
• Grants.gov
• Foundation Center
• The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
• Pew Research Center
• Philanthropy News Digest 
• Rural LISC e-newsletter
• National Association of Development Organizations

USDA Rural Development Innovation Center

Email: rd.innovation@usda.gov | Webpage: usda.gov/rdinnovation

www.rd.usda.gov

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