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USDA Rural Development’s Innovation Center Houses the USDA Rural Health Liaison
“National Rural Health Day brings awareness to the critical health needs in rural areas. At USDA and Rural Development, we work to match those needs to resources. Whether it be infrastructure, education, emergency response, clean water, affordable food, or safe housing USDA is uniquely positioned to support all aspects of rural health and help rural communities thrive.  For assistance or more information please do not hesitate to contact our office at rural.health@usda.gov”  ~ Kellie Kubena, National Rural Health Liaison

Funding

USDA Rural Development Funding

Funding for Infrastructure

Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to access the various distance learning tools needed to improve health care in rural areas. Call your State Office now to plan for success! Application Deadline: Prepare Now!

ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Application Deadline: Prepare Now!

Solid Waste Management Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development funds for organizations to provide technical assistance and/or training to improve the planning and management of solid waste sites in rural areas. Visit USDA RD’s other Water and Environmental Programs. Application Deadline: Open

Business and Industry Loan Guarantees (B&I)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program offering loan guarantees to lenders for their loans to rural businesses including hospitals, clinics, hotels, and more. Application Deadline: Open

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development program supporting the development of essential community facilities in rural areas. This includes qualified health care needs such as rural hospitals, ambulances, clinics, mobile dental units, firetrucks, and more. Direct Loan Applicant Guidance Book: PDF | Spanish. Also see RD’s Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program. Application Deadlines: Open Community Facilities Program Disaster Repair Grants U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development funding to repair essential community facilities in rural areas that were damaged by Presidentially Declared Disasters in Calendar Year 2022. Application Deadline: Open Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development program, also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards. Application Deadline: Open Single Family Housing Rural Disaster Home Repair Grants U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers this pilot program that makes funds available to repair and rebuild homes damaged in specific areas of presidentially declared disasters. Application Deadline: Open Rural Housing Site Loans U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers specific loans to eligible entities to purchase and develop housing sites for low- and moderate-income income families. Application Deadline: Open Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grants Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security funds for pre-disaster mitigation activities to build capacity of state and local governments, tribes, and territories to help them to identify mitigation actions and implement projects that reduce risks posed by natural hazards. Priority is given for projects that benefit disadvantaged communities, including rural areas. Application Deadline: Open

Funding for Community and Economic Development

Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development funding for public bodies and private nonprofit corporations, to provide technical assistance and/or training with respect to essential community facilities programs. Prepare Now!

Water and Waste Disposal Technical Assistance and Training Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development grants for organizations that assist rural and tribal communities with water and/or wastewater operations through technical assistance and training. Application Deadline: Open

Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Application Deadline: Prepare now!

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. Application Deadline: Quarterly to your RD State Office.

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: Quarterly to your RD State Office.

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. Application Deadline: Quarterly to your RD State Office.

Food and Agriculture Service-Learning Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture program is to increase the knowledge of agricultural science and improve the nutritional health of children. Application Deadline: 12/7/2023

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture program to develop and expand existing farm to school initiatives and other food and learning initiatives with the overall goal of increasing knowledge of agriculture and improving the nutritional health of children Application Deadline: 12/7/2023

Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
DOJ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention training and technical assistance initiative designed to help public safety and public health practitioners and other community stakeholders collaborate more effectively to address substance use and misuse in rural communities. Application Deadline: 12/15/2023

AmeriCorps State and National Public Health AmeriCorps Grants
AmeriCorps
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program, through AmeriCorps, to support the recruitment, training, and development of public health leaders able to provide service in response to the public health needs of urban and rural communities. Application Deadline: 1/4/2024

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Utilizing Telemedicine or Other Remote-Based Platforms to Develop and Support Treatments for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse Notice of Special Interest for research to evaluate the safety and efficacy of telemedicine or remotely provided treatments for SUD, and to develop tools for remote collection of data in clinical trials of treatments for SUD. Projects focusing on racial and ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, and rural populations are encouraged. Application Deadline: 1/8/2024

National Association of Community Health Centers New Board Chair Leadership Program
National Association of Community Health Centers
This 5-part virtual leadership training program is offered to new health center board chairs or those about to step into the board chair role. Application Deadline: 1/16/2024

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Federal Office of Rural Health Policy offers funding to promote the planning and development of integrated rural healthcare networks in order to achieve efficiencies; expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential healthcare services; and strengthen the rural healthcare system as a whole. Application Deadline: 1/26/2024

HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Office of Minority Health challenge designed to find community-led strategies and tools to address health disparities in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risks and hazards, including those related to climate change. Application Deadline: 1/30/2024

VA Quality Scholars Fellowship
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
VA two-year residential fellowship for clinicians who are interested in making veteran healthcare equitable and accessible for marginalized and rural populations. Application Deadline: 3/1/2024

Robert Wood Johnson Pioneering Ideas: Exploring the Future to Build a Culture of Health
This program seeks to influence health equity in any of four areas: Future of Evidence; Future of Social Interaction; Future of Food; Future of Work. Application Deadline: Open

• For additional USDA Program Funding visit our full Catalog of Programs.

Resources and Publications

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) offers this office to coordinate activities related to rural health care. They analyze the possible effects of policy on the 61 million residents of rural communities and provide grant funding to increase access to high quality health care. Search for funding opportunities.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) offers this program to help moms, kids, and babies thrive by improving nutrition security and advancing equity for underserved groups, including rural communities. Learn more about how WIC builds healthy foundations and how FNS is modernizing WIC at the FNS website. FNS works to end hunger and improve food security through a suite of assistance programs.

Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) offers this program, in collaboration with other USDA's summer nutrition programs, providing grocery benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. States, Tribes, and Territories that opt in by January 1, 2024, can provide families with $120 during the summer for each eligible child through this new nationwide program to buy groceries. States also now have the option to provide summer meals to children through “grab and go” or home delivered meals in eligible rural areas, in addition to summer meals at group sites.

A Guide to Working with Rural Philanthropy The Rural Health Information Hub updated this guide with background information on rural-focused philanthropies, identifying actions and characteristics that may make a program successful. CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) provide advice and input on CMS policy and program issues impacting American Indians and Alaska Natives.  National Indian Health Board Vaccination Event Funding This national nonprofit offers funding for tribal health organizations to host COVID-19 vaccination events. Events may be vaccination clinics, vaccine drives, and back-to-school events, among others. Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis in the order received for as long as funding is available. Local and Regional Food Systems Resilience Playbook Through a cooperative agreement with Colorado State University, the University of Kentucky, and many community partners, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service co-developed this tool as a primer for Food System Leaders on local and regional food systems strengths and vulnerabilities in times of disruption.

More Heath Care Resources:

• USDA Offers Funding and Information Relating to Opioid Misuse in Rural America
• Rural Community Action Guide: Building Stronger Healthy, Drug-Free Rural Communities
• The Rural Community Toolbox
• Telehealth Guide - Rural Health Information Hub
• Rural Health Care Surge Readiness
• Rural Health Information Hub
• Rural Health Information Hub - Tribal
• HRSA Rural Hospitals Program
• What is a Rural Emergency Hospital?
• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Foundational and Applied Science Program
• NIH Research Centers in Minority Institutions
• National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
• NIDA Seeking Telemedicine/Remote-Based Platforms for SUD Treatment
• The National Park Service Office of Public Health
• Household Food Security in the United States
• Common Threads: Equipping communities with the knowledge to make nutritious food choices where they work, live and play
• NIFA Invests $4.8 Million in Community Food Projects
• USDA Local and Regional Food Sector

Students and Career Resources:

• NIH Loan Repayment Programs
• Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship Program - American Medical Association
• NIH Research Training and Career Development Programs
• National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation Rural Scholarships
• NRHA Rural Health Fellows Program

USDA RD Success Stories

New Clinic Provides Increased Access to Health Care in Rural Montana: The Marias project was funded in part by two USDA programs, a $7.6 million Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan and a $1 million from a USDA Emergency Rural Health Care grant. Both programs are designed to invest financial resources that help build essential community facilities in rural areas and generate creative solutions for long-term sustainability in rural health care. Home Care Cooperative Training Meets Pressing Need in Rural Nebraska: It started with a simple phone call. A few years ago, a woman contacted Cindy Houlden, the Cooperative Business Director at the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, with a question about home care cooperative job opportunities. Read more about USDA RD’s Cooperative Services Branch and technical assistance available. Health Care Grant Provides Pandemic Lifeline to Rural Montana Senior Care Facility: Perched atop a hill at the end of a residential street in rural Glasgow sits the Valley View Home. This 96-bed skilled nursing facility provides care for nearly 100 senior residents from multiple northeastern Montana counties. Never Ones to Ask for Help, Couple Gets Needed Home Repairs through USDA Rural Development: Following several health scares, the Smiths found it more and more difficult getting in and out of their tub. Using the Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants Program they got the modifications needed.

11/15 | Virtual: Growing Rural Healthcare Workforce: Recruitment and Retention. Hosted by USDA RD for the Rural Workforce Innovation Network (RWIN)

11/15 | Virtual: HRSA Virtual Job Fair for Rural Communities. Hosted by Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA

11/16 | Recorded: Federal Rural Partners Webinars - Hosted by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

11/16 | Virtual: The Power of Rural in Action: CDC and State Strategies for Rural Health. Hosted by National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)

11/29 | Virtual: Tribal Care Coordination Dashboard Project: Coeur Adolescent Support Team (CAST) Referrals. Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

12/5 | Virtual: Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health 2023 Annual Meeting

1/25/24 | Virtual: Diverse Voices by NIH: Graphic Medicine

​Contact/Subscription

USDA Rural Development Quick Links:

• USDA Rural Development’s full Catalog of Programs
• USDA Rural Development's NOSA/NOFAs
• USDA Rural Development’s Search All Programs
• USDA Rural Development Resource Guides
• USDA Rural Development’s Rural Data Gateway
• USDA Rural Development Blogs
• View the Prior Edition of Innovation Matters

Websites and hyperlinks provided are for reference only. USDA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, or applications.

USDA Rural Development Innovation Center

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

www.rd.usda.gov

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NOTE: Websites and hyperlinks provided are for reference only. USDA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, or applications.

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