Funding, Resources, Events and Learning: Innovation Matters

USDA Rural Development sent this bulletin at 12/19/2024 01:14 PM EST

Better Grants Better Service (BGBS)
USDA Rural Development (USDA RD) moves to improve grant program access and efficiency through BGBS! Through BGBS we will make it easier to successfully apply for grants, improve the speed and consistency of our customer service, and provide a better, overall grant application experience. We pledge to keep the public updated on our progress as we work through the next steps of each recommendation. Please visit the BGBS website for more information and to view our Phase One report.

Funding Opportunities

Funding for Community and Economic Development

Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides zero-interest loans to local utilities, which are then used for projects to foster employment in rural areas. These organizations can also receive grants through REDLG to establish revolving loan funds to finance community facilities. Application Deadline: Quarterly

Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) Technical Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
DOT offers funding for Regional Infrastructure Accelerators that will provide technical assistance to develop improved infrastructure priorities and financing strategies for the accelerated development of transportation projects in the region. Application Deadline: 1/9/2025

2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Food and Nutrition Service offers funding to plan, establish, and sustain programs that improves access to local foods in schools. Application Deadline: 1/10/2025

AmeriCorps State and National Grants
AmeriCorps
This program is designed to improve lives, strengthens communities, and foster civic engagement through service by engaging members in service to strengthen communities. Application Deadline: 1/23/2025

Next Level Now Technical Assistance Collaborative
Department of Labor (DOL)
DOL’s Employment and Training Administration offers funding to support a cooperative agreement to provide a Technical Assistance Collaborative to help public workforce system entities, at the state and local levels, improve services supporting job seekers and employers who use the public workforce system. Application Deadline: 2/4/2025

Rural Veterans Health Access Program
Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS provides awards to recipients to work with providers to improve access to needed healthcare services and to improve the coordination of care for veterans living in rural areas. Application Deadline: 2/5/2025

Community Wildfire Defense Grant
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA
Forest Service offers this program to assist at-risk communities, including tribes and Alaska Native Corporations, with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks. Application Deadline: 2/28/2025

Rural Business Development Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers grants to fund business opportunity and enterprise projects that may be used to establish business support centers, finance trainings/leadership programs, purchase/develop land, repair/modernize buildings, finance planning, buy equipment to lease to small or emerging businesses, etc. Application Deadline: 2/28/2025

FY2024 Historic Preservation Fund - Semiquincentennial Grants
Department of the Interior (DOI)
DOI’s National Park Service provides funding to support the physical preservation of a broad variety of cultural resources associated with the founding of America as a nation in commemoration of the country's semiquincentennial (250th anniversary). Application Deadline: 3/18/2025

Challenge America and Grants for Arts Projects
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
NEA offers funding to support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. Application Deadlines: Various

Funding Opportunities Supporting Infrastructure

USDA Launches Pilot Program to Help Rural Homeowners, Including People Affected by Disasters, More Quickly Access Funding to Repair Their Homes.
Beginning Dec. 2, 2024, until Dec. 2, 2026, applicants in select states and territories may use the Single Family Housing Home Repair Loans and Grants program funding to pay contractors or suppliers for construction materials prior to delivery. This program provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes. It also provides grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards. For more information about the pilot, see page 95079 of the Dec. 2, 2024, Federal Register.

Solid Waste Management Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding for organizations that provide technical assistance or training to improve the planning and management of solid waste sites. FY25 SWM- NOFO. Application Deadline: 12/31/2024

Water and Waste Disposal Technical Assistance and Training Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers grants for organizations that assist rural and tribal communities with water and/or wastewater operations through technical assistance and training. Application Deadline: 12/31/2024

Community Facilities (CF) Programs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to develop or improve essential public services and facilities. Projects include fire and rescue stations, town halls, health care clinics, hospitals, childcare centers, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, public buildings, schools, libraries, and many other community-based initiatives. 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

Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to provide funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems and for energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans to support production and processing. Application Deadline: Open

REAP Success Story:
Energy Grant Helps Keep Dinner Plates Fresh and Full Year-Round
Zach Jones of The Chef’s Table, Inc., in Huron, Ohio, stands near the two biomass fueled boilers that heat the farm’s 400-acre greenhouse. The boilers were purchased with help from a USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant.

Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program
U.S. Department of Transportation
DOT offers grants for capital investments in unmet infrastructure needs with an emphasis on rural areas and tribal lands. Application Deadline: 1/30/2025

Business & Industry Guaranteed Loans
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers loans, through qualified lenders, to support in activities such as business repairs or modernization; the purchase or development of land and infrastructure; the purchase and installation of machinery or equipment; and debt refinancing. Application Deadline: Open

Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) introduces this new opportunity to provide support for rural and remote communities to build clean energy projects that benefit their communities. This program serves communities of 10,000 people or fewer. For more clean energy funding opportunities at OCED click here. Concept Paper Due: 2/27/2025

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Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

The USDA Rural Development’s Tribal Relations Webpage offers a calendar of events, funding opportunities, news releases, success stories, and more!

Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development
U.S. Department of Energy
DOE’s Office of Indian Energy offer funds to conduct clean energy planning, assess the feasibility and viability of deploying clean energy technology, and conduct clean energy design and development activities. FOA. Fact Sheet. Application Deadline: 1/23/2025

New Markets Tax Credit Program
U.S. Department of Treasury
Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund offers tax incentives for investments in business and economic development projects in distressed areas, including capital investments in healthcare facilities. Application Deadline: 1/29/2025

HUD Section 4 Capacity Building Grants: Rural and Tribal Communities
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
These grants build the technical and administrative capacity of community development corporations, community housing development organizations, and Native American organizations to carry out community development and affordable housing activities that address the needs of households with low-income. Application Deadline: 1/31/2025

Native American Library Services Basic Grants
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
IMLS provides funding to improve core library services in Native American communities with a primary goal of increasing access to information in a variety of formats to support needs for education, workforce development, economic and business development, health information, financial literacy, and other types of literacy skills. Application Deadline: 2/4/2025

Humanities Initiatives at Tribal Colleges and Universities
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
NEH offers grants to help strengthen the teaching and study of the humanities at Tribal Colleges and Universities by supporting the development of new or enhancement of existing programs, educational resources, or courses that explore, interpret, and preserve the diversity of human cultures, ideas, and practices, past and present. Application Deadline: 2/6/2025

Native Entities Capacity and Planning Grant Program
US Department of Commerce (DOC)
DOC National Telecommunications and Information Administration offers this program to fund initiatives that help Native communities to fully access and take advantage of the digital world. Webpage. Application Deadline: 2/7/2025

State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program: Native Entities
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
NTIA offers funding for Native Entities to carry out digital equity and inclusion activities. Application Deadline: 2/7/2025

Joint Office of Energy and Transportation: This site offers many resources and technical assistance for tribal nations including electronic vehicle resources and a funding search tool.

FEMA’s 2024 Tribal Strategy Progress Report: This report illustrates how the agency has engaged with Tribal Nations in the past year. Also see FEMA’s Tribal Affairs HUB.

Resources and Tools

Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s 2024-2025 FARE Fund Fact Sheet The USDA and the Reinvestment Fund opened the application window for the Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) program. This program highlights how funding will support food enterprises working to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas. Stakeholder Announcement.

The Apprentice Trailblazer Initiative This program, supported by the U.S. Department of Labor, creates a national platform with networking opportunities for apprentices and apprenticeship graduates to share perspectives and highlight successes.

Collaborating to Improve Rural Access to Capital Small towns and rural communities play key roles in the economy and have important economic ties to neighboring cities and counties. That's why the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is addressing the economic health of rural areas as part of its broader mission of strengthening the economy. Working with partners on the local, regional, and national levels, the Bank's Community Development team recently launched the Rural Investment Collaborative to increase economic investment in small towns and rural communities.

America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2024 Edition This annual report describes the characteristics of U.S. farms and ranches with recent data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Special sections focus on farmers’ storage of unpriced commodities and use of precision agriculture.

USDA RD Featured Success Stories

High Efficiency Grain Dryer Proves Transformational for Green Thumb Farms-Green Thumb Farms “Cold River Gold” potatoes are found in abundance in New England supermarkets. The family-owned farm looked to USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant to help the farm purchase a highly energy-efficient grain dryer. President, Jim Pitreau, said he was looking for ways to lower the cost of the feed corn the farm produced to keep it a competitive commodity. He also noted that he had good experiences in the past with USDA. “Applying for federal grants is difficult but worthwhile. The programs are amazing, but you have to ask questions,” he says. “You need good USDA people who can answer those questions. They want you to find a fit and get the funds you need.”

From Cheesemaking to Distilling Spirits: USDA Loan Helps Minnesota Creamery Venture Into New Industry - Redhead Creamery stands as a beacon of innovation and community spirit. What was once a traditional dairy farm has expanded into a family-operated business widely recognized as a vibrant hub for artisan cheese and distilled spirits. They fearlessly ventured into new territory. After years of successful cheesemaking, the Creamery team envisioned adding a distillery to complement their cheese production. Through the support of a $1,500,000 Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) from USDA Rural Development, administered by Stearns Electric Association, their dreams turned into reality. The funding allowed them to expand their operations…[Read More].

Events / Learning

1/9/2025 | Virtual: OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative - Disaster Response and Recovery Activities
USDA Rural Development offers this opportunity to engage in a conversation focused on Disaster Recovery and Recovery Activities. USDA cut red tape to increase private investment in rural communities across the country by making it easier for lenders to access flagship Rural Development loan programs through the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative.

1/16/2025 | Virtual: U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 101: Rural Playbook Webinar will provide rural entities with materials and resources to further support their needs.

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2/27-28, 2025 | Virtual or in person in Arlington, VA: USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. Please join USDA Rural Development for their session on 2/28 called “Farm and Rural Workforce Housing Needs and Solutions”. There is no charge for attending the Forum virtually. Register now before spaces fill up!