Funding Opportunities, Resources, Events and Learning: Innovation Matters

USDA Rural Development sent this bulletin at 09/14/2023 11:00 AM EDT

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Federal Resources Symposium U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement is hosting a half-day Symposium on Federal Programs and Resources for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) with an emphasis on cooperative agreements. This includes learning about how USDA supports students, staff, and faculty through cooperative agreements at various agencies within the Department.

Funding Opportunities

Funding Opportunities Supporting Infrastructure

Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants in Presidentially Declared Disasters Pilot
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program for very-low-income homeowners to repair disaster related damage caused to their homes. Specific requirements apply. Application Deadline: Open

Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program (PACE)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to help make clean, affordable, and reliable energy accessible to the people of rural America. Rural Utilities Service program to forgive a percentage of loans for specific renewable energy projects. Letters of Interest (Required): 9/29/2023

Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loan guarantees to assist in the development, construction, and retrofitting of new and emerging technologies such as advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products. Application Deadline: 10/3/2023

HOPE VI Main Street Grant Program
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD provides grants for small communities to assist in the renovation of an historic or traditional central business district, or “Main Street” area, by replacing unused, obsolete, commercial space in buildings with affordable housing units. Application Deadline: 10/12/2023

Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides grants to help eligible processors expand their processing capacity, to creates new, better and more processing options for meat and poultry producers. Application Deadline: 11/22/2023

Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development HBIIP seeks to increase the availability of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel derived from U.S. agricultural products by sharing the costs to build and retrofit biofuel-related infrastructure. Federal Register. Application Deadline: Various through 9/30/2024

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: Various through 9/30/2024

Funding Opportunities Supporting Community and Economic Development

ParkVentures Program
The National Park Foundation (NPF)
NPF program to engage historically excluded audiences at national parks through recreational activities. Application Deadline: 10/05/2023

Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program)
U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
DOC’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) program designed to make focused investments in communities most in need of economic resources to provide options supporting a path to economic prosperity. Application Deadline: 10/5/2023

Farm To School Technical Assistance-Cooperative Agreement
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Food and Nutrition Service offers farm-to-school stakeholder funding to expand qualified activities. Application Deadline: 10/10/2023

Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas Fixed Award Grant Program
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE offers this grant program to provide financial investment, technical assistance, and other resources to advance clean energy demonstrations and energy solutions that benefit rural and remote communities. Application Deadline: 10/12/2023

USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act Forest Landowner Support
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Forest Service offers incentives for forestry practices and support for underserved landowners and small-acreage landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience. Application Deadline: 10/21/2023

T-Mobile Hometown Grants Program
T-Mobile offers funding for shovel-ready projects to create outdoor spaces, community centers or hiking trails. Application Deadline: Quarterly

Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture offers grants to qualified applicants that meet program guidelines to reduce food insecurity while improving access to services. Application Deadline: 10/30/2023

Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offers funding for new tools, approaches, and technologies to further conservation on private lands. Two separate funding opportunities are available: CIG On-Farm Trials and CIG Classic. Proposals Due By: 10/30/2023

High Energy Cost Grant
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers funding to acquire, construct, extend, upgrade, or otherwise improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities. Grants may also be used to install on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems and to make energy efficiency improvements. Application Deadline: 10/31/2023

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers funding to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas, create and preserve quality jobs and revitalize low-income communities. Application Deadline: 11/03/2023

Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Disaster Repair Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to support technical assistance for repairing essential community facilities damaged by Presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022. Specific requirements apply. For more information, visit the Federal Register. Application Deadlines: Paper submissions by 11/29/2023 | via Grants.gov by 11/24/2023

Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

EPA Tribal Support for E-Enterprise for the Environment, 2024-2029
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA is offering technical assistance funding to enhance tribal participation in E-Enterprise supporting an array of topics including air, climate, water, chemical safety, land clean-up and revitalization, and environmental justice. Webinar on 9/20/2023. Application Deadline: 10/16/2023

NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
NTIA offers funds for broadband infrastructure as well as projects promoting adoption and use of broadband services. Application Deadline: 1/23/2024

The Native American Direct Loan (NADL)
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
VA home loan program makes home loans available to eligible Native American Veterans who wish to purchase, construct, or improve a home on Federal Trust land or to reduce the interest rate. Application Deadline: Open

Renewable Energy Siting through Technical Engagement and Planning
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
This new DOE funding will support the creation or expansion of state-based programs or initiatives that improve renewable energy planning, communication tools, and siting processes for local communities. Application Deadline: Open

2024 AmeriCorps State and National Native Nation Planning Grants
AmeriCorps
These planning grants support the recipient to develop a program that will engage AmeriCorps members in implementing evidence-based interventions to solve community problems. Specific requirements apply. Application Deadline: 4/5/2023

Resources

SCORP Comparison Report
The Confluence of States and Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals released the first-ever Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) Comparison Report. This report compares SCORPs to each other, shares differences and/or similarities, and raises the visibility of each plan's impact on a community. Look at your State’s Plan!

Inflation Reduction Act Pocket Guides
The USDA Rural Development Innovation Center, in partnership with the US Department of Energy, US Department of Treasury, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Economic Development Agency, launched two new pocket guides providing links to programs supporting rural communities as they work toward building a stronger workforce, more resilient economy, and climate-smart investments.

Changes in USDA Rural Development Eligible Areas
On October 1, 2023, the new ineligible area maps for the Rural Development Single Family Housing and Multi-Family Housing programs will be updated to the USDA Income and Property Eligibility Site at https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov.

Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA)
USDA Rural Development continues to support 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. BABAA Customer Guide.

United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
The USHCC and its network of more than 250 local chambers and business associations focus on promoting the economic interests of Hispanic-owned small businesses to aid their growth and development.

Unleashing the Entrepreneur in Everybody with Mark Cuban and SBA Administrator Guzman
ZenBusiness and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) at South by Southwest (SXSW) focusing on diversifying entrepreneurship while highlighting resources and funding while overcoming bias and ignoring the nagging doubt of imposter syndrome.

National Hispanic Heritage Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide

A Proclamation on National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, Sept 2023

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 - Spotlighting Latino Cultures
PBS provides education information about the diversity of the Latino culture through inspiring real-life stories. ‎Latinx Leaders · ‎Origin of Everything · ‎Hispanic Heritage Month · ‎Special Collection

USDA RD Success Stories

AYUDA Receives Grant for Commercial Kitchen: USDA Rural Development awarded a $50,000 Community Facilities Grant to AYUDA to assist with the renovation of the existing kitchen into a commercial kitchen.…[Read More]

Bringing Hope for a Hero through Home Repair: Raymond Mendoza, a retired United States Air Force Veteran, has been a homeowner for over 40 years and felt the overwhelming expense of home maintenance on a fixed income. That’s where the USDA RD’s Section 504 Home Repair Program was able to help.…[Read More]

Sweet Success of Tonoloway Farm: The “sugar makers” of Virginia’s Highland County have been perfecting their art for hundreds of years. USDA RD’s Value-Added Producer Grant provided the much-needed working capital to scale up with to commercial-scale production with industry standard equipment.… [Read More]

Events / Learning

Featured USDA RD Event:

10/17: Virtual | Gateway to the Agricultural Industry Workforce - A Rural Workforce Innovation Network (RWIN) Workshop - USDA Rural Development offers this virtual workshop featuring programs and funding opportunities that support the agricultural workforce with presentations from the Department of Labor and the Community College Alliance for Agriculture Advancement. To access previous RWIN workshop recordings visit the USDA Rural Development YouTube Channel or www.rd.usda.gov/rwin.

9/19: Virtual | SCORE: Alternative Funding Options for Hispanic-Owned Businesses in 2023. Discuss the alternative funding options available to Hispanic small businesses.

9/27: Virtual | Rural Community Action Assembly. Hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank focusing on Immigration, Community, and the Economy.

10/4: Washington, D.C. | Talent Forward. Hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and focusing on identifying the biggest workforce issues while finding cutting-edge and long-term solutions for good.

10/24-27: Washington, DC | The 2023 National Rural Housing Conference: Build Rural.

10/25-27: Bentonville, Arkansas | Rural Renaissance Roadshow, presented by Groundswell.

11/7: Cleveland, Ohio | The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Annual Training Conference.