Funding Opportunities, Resources, Events and Learning: Innovation Matters

USDA Rural Development sent this bulletin at 05/24/2023 10:35 AM EDT

USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Provides Historic Investments in Clean Energy

RUS offers two new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs, PACE and New ERA, which represent the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936!

Summary of New IRA Programs: PACE and New ERA | Rural Utilities Service IRA Presentation

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Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding Opportunities at Rural Development

Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program (PACE)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program provides loans that may be forgiven by up to 40% of the loan amount. The maximum loan amount is $100 million. Applicants in Puerto Rico, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and Tribal communities are eligible for up to 60% loan forgiveness. Federal Register Notice. Letters of Interest (Required): 6/30/2023, on a rolling basis until 9/29/2023

Empowering Rural America Program (New ERA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to help rural Americans transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy by reducing air and water pollution. Funding improves health outcomes and lower energy costs for people in rural communities. Federal Register Notice. Letter of Interest (Required): Due between 7/31/2023 and 8/31/2023

Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program provides funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Federal Register Notice. More Flexible Inflation Reduction Act Changes. Contact your State Energy Coordinator. Application Deadline: 6 quarterly Cycles

Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

Housing Preservation Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to sponsoring organizations for the repair or rehabilitation of applicable housing. Funding may also be available to help repair homes damaged during a calendar year 2022 Presidentially declared disaster area. Federal Register. Application Deadline: 6/5/2023

Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development funding up to $15,000 in loans and sub-grant funds to homeowners. Applicants to the Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects program may provide up to $200,000 in loans to finance water and wastewater projects. Application Deadline: 6/10/2023

Community Connect Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to construct broadband networks in rural areas that do not currently have broadband service. Application Deadline: 6/20/2023

Resilient Supply Chain Infrastructure
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Agriculture Marketing Service provides funding to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses, to support the development of value-added products for consumers, fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities. Application Deadline: 8/23/2023

Single Family Housing Rural Disaster Home Repair Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development grants to very-low and low-income homeowners to repair homes damaged in a Calendar Year 2022 Presidentially Declared Disaster Area. To determine your eligibility, review the list of Presidentially Declared Disasters by State and County. How do I get started? Contact a USDA home loan specialist in your area. Application Deadline: Open

Funding Opportunities for Community and Economic Development

Rural Energy Savings Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans to entities that agree to make affordable loans to help consumers implement cost-effective, energy efficiency measures to lower energy bills for rural families and businesses and reduce barriers to investment in energy efficiency projects or activities. Application Deadline: Open

Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities (WORC) Round 5
U.S. Department of Labor
DOL’s Employment and Training Administration offers workforce funding for the Appalachian, Delta, and Northern Border Regions. Application Deadline: 6/13/2023

Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development funding to support eligible applicants to provide technical assistance and training to help grantees identify and plan for community facility needs in their area. Application Deadline: 6/15/2023 via Grants.gov | Paper Applications: 6/30/2023

Broadband Technical Assistance Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to support technical assistance projects such as conducting feasibility studies, completing network designs and developing broadband financial assistance applications. Funding is also available to help organizations access federal resources, and to conduct data collection and reporting. Read the full news release. Application Deadline: 6/20/2023

Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funds to start, improve or expand rural cooperatives and other mutually owned businesses that help improve economic conditions in rural areas. Federal Register. Application Deadline: 6/26/2023

Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funds to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community and economic development. Application Deadline: 6/28/2023 via Grants.gov | Paper Applications: 7/3/2023

USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development supports zero-interest loans and grants for current and former eligible Rural Utilities Service borrowers who then use the funds to help local businesses finance projects that create/retain jobs or support community facility projects. Stakeholder Announcement. Federal Register. Application Deadline: To your RD State Office by 6/30/2023

Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development loans and grants support Microenterprise Development Organization to establish revolving loan funds. Application Deadline: To your RD State Office by 6/30/23

Intermediary Relending Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funds to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create new opportunities in rural communities. Stakeholder Announcement. Application Deadline: To your RD State Office by 6/30/23

Tech Hubs Phase 1 Notice of Funding
U.S. Department of Commerce
Economic Development Administration (EDA) offers funding to drive regional technology and innovation-centric growth by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize and deploy critical technologies. Application Deadline: 8/15/2023

Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

2023 HŌʻIHI NATIVE Act Grant Program for Native Hawaiian Organizations
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
DOI’s The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) announces the launch of a new program for Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) that implement the Native American Tourism and improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act). Application Deadline: 6/6/2023

Native Community Development Financial Institution Relending Demonstration (NCDFI) Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to increase homeownership opportunities by providing the loans to qualified NCDFIs that will use the funds to loan to eligible low- and very-low-income homebuyers to purchase, build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate dwellings on Native lands and rural areas. Application Deadline: 7/17/2023

Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development, in collaboration with Agricultural Marketing Service, offer funding to expand meat and poultry processing options for underserved producers and Tribal communities. More information is available on USDA’s Indigenous Animals Grants webpage. To learn more, read the full news release. Application Deadline: 7/19/2023

Transition Tribal Colleges and Universities to Clean Energy
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE’s Office of Indian Energy offers funding to support clean energy project and curriculum planning, technology support and curriculum deployment. Application Deadline: 7/27/2023

Resources and Publications

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month!
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.

USDA to Bring New Jobs and Improved Infrastructure to Rural Partners Network (RPN) Communities
USDA provided awards to benefit RPN communities and support their long-term visions for strong, local economies. Complete list of projects. For more information on RPN, visit Rural.gov.

Introduction to Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) Webinar Recording and Q&A Available
USDA Rural Development is supporting the implementation of BABAA as it energizes domestic manufacturing, strengthens supply chains, and creates good jobs for people of all backgrounds and experiences across the United States. For more information please see these resources: Webinar Recording, Q&A Document and our BABAA Customer Guide.

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding for USDA Rural Development
IRA represents the largest single investment in rural electrification since the passage of the Rural Electrification Act in 1936. Sections 22001 through 22005 of IRA provide new loan and grant products and unprecedented incentives to expand clean energy, transform rural power production, create jobs and spur economic growth to be offered by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service and Rural Business and Cooperative Service. Current Events, Recorded Webinars and Funding Updates will be posted on this website!

Building a Clean Energy Economy: A Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investments in Clean Energy and Climate Action
This guidebook, offered by the White House, provides a program-by-program overview of the Inflation Reduction Act, including who is eligible to apply for funding and for what purposes. You can find the most recent information on the Inflation Reduction Act at www.CleanEnergy.gov. Read the full Announcement. Also see the IRA Tribal Guidebook.

USDA Rural Development Offers a new Tribal Relations Webpage
The USDA Rural Development Tribal Relations office is a part of the Innovation Center's Strategic Engagement Division, which ensures relevant programs and policies are efficient, easy to understand, accessible, and developed in consultation with the American Indians and Alaska Native constituents they impact.

Blog of the Month:

National Agriculture Day: Fifty Years Later, Farmers Are Growing a Climate for Tomorrow Fifty years after the creation of National Agriculture Day, America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners find themselves on the front lines of climate change. They are uniquely positioned to deliver solutions by implementing climate-smart practices that conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.

Events and Learning

5/31: Registration & 6/1: Registration - USDA Rural Development IRA Clean Energy Events- RUS will provide background on the NOFOs for PACE and New ERA that were published in the Federal Register on May 16, 2023.

Recorded: USDA RD’s REAP Inflation Reduction Act Webinar and Frequently Asked Questions

5/31: Rural Gateway Peer-to-Peer Webinar: Understanding the USDA - Rural Development Inflation Reduction Act Funding Opportunity for Rural Communities. Please pre-register to receive a joining link. Questions: Call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526)

Recorded:What the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Means for Energy CommunitiesInteragency Working Group (IWG) on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization offered this two-part webinar series exploring the historic investments in the IRA featuring multiple Federal program funds, including tax credits, relevant to energy communities.

10/16–18: ACEEE: Energy Efficiency as a Resource (Philadelphia, PA)