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March is Women’s History Month, a month-long observance commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women. 

Funding

Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

ReConnect Program Round 5
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program that furnishes funding for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Several program improvements are in place to further increase the availability of funding in rural areas where residents and businesses lack access to affordable, high-speed internet. Federal Register. Application Deadline: 5/21/2024

Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Program
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration program to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing, or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing, or leasing bus-related facilities. Application Deadline: 4/25/2024

Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to eligible applicants that will provide, rural communities use advanced telecommunications technology to connect to each other - and the world - overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Application Deadline: 4/29/2024

Off-Farm Labor Housing Programs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development programs that provide grants and loans of up to $40,000 per unit for farmers, nonprofits, local governments, and federally recognized Tribes to improve, repair or modify properties that have previously received financing from USDA for farmworkers. Federal Register. Application Deadline: 6/18/2024

Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to provide funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Federal Register Notice. Contact your State Energy Coordinator. Application Deadline: Various through 9/30/2024

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

Funding Opportunities Supporting Community and Economic Development

Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD offers funding to national organizations that can provide technical assistance to local communities to help create thriving affordable housing strategies that will result in healthier homes and communities. Application Deadline: 3/25/2024 

Growth Opportunities and Pathway Home
Department of Labor (DOL)
DOL Employment and Training Administration offers two unique workforce programs to prepare targeted populations to gain skills or workforce related education. Application Deadlines: 04/02/2024 and 4/04/204, Respectively

Backing Small Businesses Grant Program
Main Street America
In partnership with American Express, Main Street offers support to economically vulnerable and under-resourced small businesses with a location and operation in historic main street, downtown, or commercial district. Application Deadline: 4/7/2024

Value-Added Producer Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides grants to help farmers and ranchers generate new products, create marketing opportunities, and increase their incomes through value-added activities. Federal Register. Application Deadline: Paper applications must be postmarked and delivered by mail, email or in person to the state office where the project is proposed by close of business on 4/16/2024 | via Grants.gov on 4/11/2024

Fire Prevention and Safety Program
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA offers funding to strengthen community fire prevention programs and support scientific research on innovations that improve firefighter safety, health, and well-being. Application Deadline: 4/12/2024

Challenge America Grants
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
NEA offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach to communities that are underserved. Application Deadline: 4/25/2024

Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program
Department of Commerce (DOC)
DOC’s Economic Development Administration seeks to alleviate persistent economic distress and support long-term comprehensive economic development and job creation, in places with a high prime-age (25 to 54 years) employment gap. Application Deadline: 4/25/2024

Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
DOT offers multi-year funding to assist public entities in facilitating and evaluating public-private partnerships, innovative financing, and delivery opportunities for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act eligible projects. This program joins the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, Thriving Communities Program, and other new technical assistance opportunities to ensure communities have the tools to access funding for transformative projects. Application Deadline: 5/9/2024

Community Level Innovations for Improving Health Outcomes
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS’s solicits applications for projects to demonstrate that community level innovations that reduce barriers related to social determinants of health can increase use of preventive health services and make progress. Other HHS Funding. Application Deadline: 5/15/2024 

Organizations of State and Local Officials Program
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
HRSA provides funds for a national level organization with an in-depth understanding of, and experience with, providing technical assistance and support to State Medicaid Directors and other health care payment officials to assist states in leveraging HRSA programs and collaborating with Medicaid to improve access to quality health care for high need communities. Application Deadline: 05/23/2024

Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Round 6: A Grant Initiative for the Appalachian, Delta, and Northern Border Regions
Department of Labor
DOL Employment and Training Administration offers grants that create economic mobility, address inequities for historically marginalized communities of color, rural areas, and other underserved and underrepresented communities. Application Deadline: 6/12/2024

Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

Technical Assistance and Resources for Tribal Nations The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has updated its Resources and Technical Assistance for Tribal Nations page. These updates were made to streamline EV resources for Tribes to offer a quick and efficient means to identifying the most relevant and timely EV funding opportunities and locating EV specific resources and project examples for tribal communities. Tribes can contact the Joint Office to request technical assistance with EV infrastructure, planning, and much more. They offer information about electric vehicles (EVs), access to technical assistance, featured resources, and links to funding opportunities available to tribal nations for electrified transportation. Also available: National EV Initiative for Tribal Nations and Tribal EV and Energy Storage Projects.

San Manuel Cares Grants
San Manuel Cares offers grants for tribal governments and tribal nonprofit organizations to support the areas of community services, healthy/resilient communities, and preserving cultural tradition. Application Deadline: 3/31/2024

Native Hawaiian Library Services and Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS)
IMLS provides grants to improve core library services for underserved communities. Application Deadline for both programs: 4/1/2024

Strengthening Tribal Advocacy Responses Track
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women offers funding to assist tribal governments and authorized designees of tribal governments to respond to violence and assault in their communities. Application Deadline: 4/24/2024

Indian Highway Safety Occupant Protection Grant
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs offers funding to support traffic safety programs and projects designed to reduce the number of traffic crashes, deaths, injuries, and property damage.  Application Deadline: 5/1/2024

Social and Economic Development Strategies
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS Administration for Children and Families has a program that focuses on community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Native American families, and decrease the high rate of current challenges caused by the lack of community-based businesses and social/economic infrastructure in Native American communities. Application Deadline: 5/20/2024

Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE’s Office of Indian Energy offers funding to install clean energy generating systems and/or energy efficiency measures for Tribal buildings or deploy community-scale clean energy generating systems or community energy storage on Tribal lands, and various other uses. Application Deadline: 5/30/2024

Tribal Wildlife Grant Program
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFS)
USFS offers competitive funding for Federally recognized Tribal governments to develop and implement programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished. Application Deadline: 6/21/2024

Resources

USDA releases "An Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry: 2023 Update," which shows that, based on data from 2021, the biobased products industry grew nationwide. See more resources in the full Stakeholder Announcement.

Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) This USDA Rural Development initiative supports projects implementing all or part of a multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral strategic community investment plan. SECD reserved funds can help rural communities and economies prepare for the future. In fiscal year 2024, reserved funding is available under the following USDA Rural Development programs: Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program; Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program; Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loan and Grant Program; Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees; Rural Business Development Grants. To learn more, read full Stakeholder Announcement.

Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide USDA offers many programs that can be “stacked” or sequenced to support local and regional farms and food businesses and their communities. This guide is intended to help stakeholders navigate resources to strengthen local and regional food systems.

Celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week, Mar 25 - 31

USDA Women in Business Success Stories

Grant Makes Dream a Reality for Montana Small Business: Their grass fed, grass finished Black Angus beef cattle are the source for a growing woman-owned rural small business - Lane Legacy Beef, owned by Katie Lane. Establishing a business isn’t easy, and Katie needed help to cover costs like processing and packaging, marketing, and delivery. She learned about the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Program and approached the USDA Rural Development team in Montana to apply… [Read More]

Lifelong Love of Animals Blossoms into Successful Small Business: Little did Stephanie Smotherman know her affinity for goats would lead to a thriving small business featuring goat's milk products. Her expansion ideas include developing a line of products for men, curating subscription boxes for returning customers, and designing seasonal and holiday offerings. Stephanie contacted the USDA Rural Development team and secured a Value-Added Producer Grant that assists to analyze, market, and grow her small business…  [Read More]

Celebrating Mother-Daughter Coffee Farming: Their operation is unique in the world of American agricultural exports. USDA Foreign Agriculture Service celebrated this mother-daughter team during Woman’s History Month. Hear, in their own voices, how Lorie took over the business from her late husband and how USDA programs have helped them produce and promote coffee from Hawaii's Ka'u region.

Women's History Resources

The US Chamber of Commerce offer 15 Resources for Women-Owned Businesses. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Women's Health promotes public health research and evidence-based programs, policies, and strategies to improve the health and well-being of women and girls and raises visibility of risk factors and other conditions that impact women and girls’ health.

The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Research on Women’s Health strengthens and enhances research related to diseases, disorders, and conditions that affect women.

HHS has taken action to advance health equity and improve health outcomes for women and girls in the United States, read the Report of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health: Fiscal years 2021-2022. 

The Impact of Women Breaking Digital Access Barriers National Telecommunications and Information Administration offers this piece on women and digital equity. Equitable access to education and workforce opportunities is critical and by providing women and girls with access to online learning platforms, educational resources, and digital skills training programs, allow them to get the tools they need to thrive in a technology-driven society. 

3/25 | Virtual: Learn How to Strategically Apply for Active Transportation Funding. Join Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to learn how to strategically apply for the new program dedicated solely to the development of connected walking and biking routes within and between communities.

3/27 | Virtual: USDA RD’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program Webinar. Join to learn more about this premier program! 

3/28 | Virtual: Accessibility in Rural Tourism and Agritourism. This webinar will focus on accessibility in rural tourism and agritourism. If you have accessibility accommodation requests, please note these in the appropriate field during registration. 

3/28 | Virtual: Building a Wealth Creation Learning Community. NADO Research Foundation, in partnership with the Aspen Institute, host quarterly webinars showcasing Economic Development Districts using wealth creation. 

Recorded: USDA’s 100th Agricultural Outlook Forum. Recordings of all Forum sessions are available on the event platform.

​Contacts/Subscription

USDA Rural Development Quick Links:

• USDA Rural Development’s full Catalog of Programs
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USDA Rural Development Innovation Center

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