Welcome to the Montana Rural Explorer, USDA Rural Development Montana's monthly newsletter where you will find updates on funding opportunities and activities related to our Business, Cooperative, Energy, Electric, Telecommunications, Water and Environmental, Community Facilities, Multi-Family Housing, and Single Family Housing programs.
Rural Healthcare, REAP & Disaster Assistance
It's finally starting to feel like fall here in Montana. Leaves are changing, temperatures are cooling down, and kiddos are headed back to school. At USDA RD Montana, we are wrapping up Fiscal Year 2021 and preparing to head into a new one, which starts October 1st, with anticipation and excitement.
There's a lot happening within our program areas, and we invite you to take a look at some of the current and upcoming initiatives that are outlined in this month's Montana Rural Explorer.
In this month's edition, we are highlighting our Emergency Rural Health Care Grant program (ERHC), which is designed to help broaden access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, rural health care services, and food assistance through food banks and food distribution facilities. Applications for this program are due by Oct. 12, 2021.
We also continue the conversation about the Rural Energy for America program (REAP), as we just announced the latest recipients for Montana REAP funding, which is a program to help rural businesses implement Renewable Energy Systems and energy efficiency projects. The application cycle for restricted grants is open through Oct. 31, 2021 and we are looking forward to reviewing applications for this next round of funding.
We have several outreach and learning opportunities coming up throughout the next several months. Many of these are listed below, but you'll also want to stay connected, through our Twitter feed, to ensure you have the most up-to-date info about USDA RD Montana happenings! And, you don't want to miss our newest Main Street Monday campaign on Twitter, where we are posting videos from around Montana, and showcasing the Main Streets of our amazing rural communities, every Monday morning!
So, go grab your Pumpkin Spice Latte and have a read, because this issue is packed with info you won't want to miss!
The Emergency Rural Health Care program is designed to help broaden access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, rural health care services, and food assistance through food banks and food distribution facilities.
Rural health care is challenged by immediate financial needs stemming from COVID-19 related expenses. Long-term access to – and availability of – rural health care services have been further hampered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these challenges, this program offers two tracks of funding to eligible applicants.
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Track One: Recovery Grants provide immediate relief to address the economic conditions arising from the COVID-19 emergency
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Track Two: Impact Grants advance ideas and solutions to solve regional rural health care problems to support the long-term sustainability of rural health
Eligible applicants include public bodies, community-based nonprofits, and federally-recognized Tribes. Facilities and projects supported through this grant must be located in rural areas with populations of 20,000 or fewer, and must primarily serve rural areas.
Want to know more? Come see Steve Troendle, our Director of Community Programs, at the Montana Hospital Association Conference on Fri. Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m. (MDT). Steve's presentation will discuss this program in detail and offer ideas on things to consider when putting together your ERHC applications.
More information on the Montana Healthcare Conference can be found HERE.
Congratulations are in order for the 25 REAP recipients who received USDA RD Montana funding in Fiscal Year 2021 to help offset energy costs through the improvement and / or installation of renewable energy infrastructure!
The winners of the 14 REAP grants that were part of the restricted competition, which provides for applications that are less than $20,000, are listed HERE. Some of these projects include:
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Glacier Guides, a recreation-based business operating at the edge of Glacier National Park, and providing ecologically sensitive outdoor adventures to the public. They will use a $11,363 grant to help install a 31.94 kW rooftop solar array, replacing almost 15,000 kW of energy and providing the business with an annual savings of over $1,000.
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Alpacas of Montana, an alpaca textile company in Gallatin County, offering alpaca products which includes compost, socks, hats, scarves, sweaters, blankets and mittens. This company will utilize their $14,264 grant to purchase and install a 25,925 kW solar array system, which is expected to realize nearly $4,000 in annual energy savings and will generate over 31,000 kW of electricity per year. This is enough to power three homes.
- And, in Geyser, Mont., Greg Rugland, the sole proprietor of a family-owned cow and calf operation, will use a $9,276 grant to purchase and install a 10 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system that will be ground-mounted on his ranch. This project is expected to realize about $300 in annual energy savings and will save just over 2,000 kW of electricity per year.
In fiscal year 2021, USDA RD Montana also funded an additional 11 applications through the unrestricted REAP program and awarded an additional $328,976 in grant monies to Montana businesses. Through these two avenues, USDA RD Montana awarded a total of 25 restricted and unrestricted REAP grants, which equated to almost half-a-million dollars in Fiscal Year 2021 funding.
The projects listed above are only a sampling of the innovative entrepreneurs who are utilizing the REAP program to offset energy costs and lower their carbon footprint. We are excited to feature many of their stories on our social media channels in the upcoming months, so, stay tuned to our Twitter for those!
REAP applications for loan guarantees, through a local commercial lender, are accepted year-round. However, the deadline to apply for restricted grants of $20,000 or less, or a loan and grant combination for $20,000 or less, is Oct. 31, 2021. Applications for unrestricted grants, or unrestricted loan and grant combinations, are due by March 31, 2022 and REAP technical assistance grant applications are due by Jan. 31, 2022.
To learn more about business investment resources for Montana’s rural areas, including REAP loans and grants, interested parties should contact the Business and Cooperative Programs Director, Lad Barney, at (406) 309-3350 or lad.barney@usda.gov.
Funds go fast! So, contact us today to get started on your project.
We are excited to be taking part in this year's Women Stepping Forward for Agriculture Conference, which will be held September 28-30, 2021 at the Big Horn Resort in Billings, Mont.
Come see us at BOOTH #20 to find out more about how we can help you achieve your business goals through our Value Added Producer Grants and other USDA RD Business programs!
Through our Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Housing program, USDA RD Montana continues to partner with Helena Area Habitat for Humanity to help Montana families secure, and in this case build, affordable housing. Helena Area Habitat for Humanity is conducting their 2021 Home Builders Blitz, where four families, with the help of volunteers, community members, and technical experts, will be constructing their new homes over the course of 10 days!
More info on volunteering can be found on their website and we look forward to seeing many of you at the end-of-build celebration on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at 10 a.m. to celebrate all the great work.
The four homeowners have been working since spring on the pre-build for the project and we are happy to be able to also assist them, through our USDA RD Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans, with securing the mortgages they need to become homeowners!
We just released our new Disaster Resource Guide, which outlines USDA RD programs that can help Montana's rural residents, businesses & communities and support long-term planning and disaster recovery efforts!
CLICK HERE to view the document.
OTHER NEWS YOU CAN USE
Eviction Moratorium for Homeowners Extended
USDA Extends Eviction Moratorium for Homeowners to September 30, 2021
Click here for ADDITIONAL INFO
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and Department of Commerce American Rescue Plan program has allocated $100M of Economic Adjustment Assistance funds for Indigenous Communities. EDA will work with Tribal Governments and Indigenous Communities to execute economic development projects and jumpstart recovery from the COVID19 pandemic. Click here for the GRANT INFO.
USDA RD published the Biobased Products Industry Report and findings show that the biobased industry is responsible for 4.6 million American jobs and has had a significant, positive impact on the environment! Click here for the FULL REPORT.
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