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.
Wishing Everyone Happy Holidays
as we
Wrap Up the Year!
It's hard to believe that this year is quickly coming to a close. As we reflect on what USDA Rural Development has achieved in Montana in 2021, we are thrilled to share some of our successes with you. Read on for the highlights.
Also, here are some upcoming happenings that you may want to get on your calendar:
As always, we invite you 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 continuing Main Street Monday series, where, every Monday morning, we post videos from around Montana and showcase the Main Streets of our amazing rural communities!
In addition, over the course of the next two weeks, we are celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas on Twitter by sharing things we love about Montana and showing how USDA Rural Development Montana is connected to rural growth and prosperity!
From all of us, we wish you a very healthy, joyous and peaceful Holiday Season!
Click on the photo to read the story of how one local business is using Rural Energy for America funding to install energy-efficient elements in their distillery in Troy, Mont.
Click on the photo to read the story of how one Tribal College on the Flathead Reservation is using the Community Facility Tribal College Initiative Grant to create parking and a build a lighted hike-and-bike path for their 700 students.
OTHER NEWS YOU CAN USE
Applications are being accepted under the Water and Waste Disposal Technical Assistance and Training Grants program. The program helps small communities improve water and waste treatment facilities for households and businesses.
Nonprofits that have the proven ability, background, experience and capacity to provide technical assistance or training on a national, regional or state basis are encouraged to apply. Eligible project areas include cities, towns and unincorporated rural areas with populations of up to 10,000 residents or tribal lands in rural areas. Special consideration may be given to projects that serve areas with populations of less than 5,500 residents or less than 2,500 residents.
Funds may be used to:
- Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems related to source, storage, treatment, distribution, collection, treatment and disposal.
- Provide technical assistance and training to improve management, operations and maintenance of water and waste disposal systems.
- Prepare water and waste disposal loan and grant applications.
Projects should be completed in 12 months.
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 9:59 p.m. MST / 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2021.
Applications are being accepted under the Solid Waste Management Grants program. USDA provides the grants to organizations that offer technical assistance or training to help rural communities manage solid waste sites and eliminate water pollution.
Eligible applicants include public bodies, nonprofit organizations, federally recognized tribes and academic institutions in rural areas and towns with 10,000 or fewer residents. Special consideration may be given to projects serving areas with fewer than 5,500 or 2,500 people, multiple states or lower-income populations.
Funds may be used to:
- Evaluate current landfill conditions to identify threats to water resources.
- Provide technical assistance or training to enhance the operation and maintenance of active landfills.
- Provide technical assistance or training to help communities reduce the amount of solid waste coming into a landfill.
- Provide technical assistance or training to prepare for the closure and future use of a landfill site.
Projects should be completed in 12 months.
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 9:59 p.m. MST / 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2021.
We are accepting applications to support economic development and create jobs for people in rural America through the Rural Business Development Grant program to support business opportunity and enterprise projects in rural communities.
Eligible entities are rural towns, communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofits, federally recognized tribes, public institutions of higher education and non-profit cooperatives.
Business opportunity projects are used to identify and analyze business opportunities that will use local rural materials or human resources. Such projects must be consistent with any local and area-wide community and economic development strategic plans and are used to support other economic development activities in the project area. Projects include the establishment of business support centers or to finance job training and leadership development in rural areas.
Funding for business enterprise projects must be used to finance or develop small and emerging businesses in rural areas. Enterprise projects include the repair or modernization of buildings, technical assistance to a small business such as feasibility studies or business plans, or an equipment purchase for leasing to a small or emerging business.
In Fiscal Year 2022, USDA anticipates that part of the funding will be set aside for federally recognized Native American tribes, Rural Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Communities/Rural Economic Area Partnerships, projects located in Persistent Poverty areas, including those of Native Americans, and for Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) projects. Eligible applicants for the persistent poverty and SECD set-aside funds must demonstrate that 100 percent of the benefits of an approved grant will assist beneficiaries in the designated areas.
Applications for grant funding, including all set-aside funds, must be submitted to the Bozeman State Office 4:30 p.m. MST on Feb. 28, 2022. For additional information, visit Grants.gov or see page 53270 of the Sept. 27, 2021, Federal Register.
We have several Resource Guides available which outline USDA RD programs that can help Montana's rural residents, businesses and communities!
- Broadband Resources for Rural America: PDF
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COVID19 Federal Rural Resource Guide: PDF
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Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Guide:PDF
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Guía de recursos conjuntos: PDF
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Joint Childcare Resource Guide: PDF
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Recreational Economy: PDF
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Recursos de resistencia y recuperación en caso de desastres: PDF
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Rural Workforce Guide: PDF
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Tribal Report - 2019: PDF
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