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Funding

Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

Community Facilities Direct Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects include fire and rescue stations, town halls, health care clinics and hospitals. Application deadline: Open

Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities (CF) in rural areas. Examples of community facilities include health care facilities, buildings like town halls, and public safety facilities such as fire departments. Application deadline: Open

Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides insured loans and loan guarantees to nonprofit and cooperative associations, public bodies, and other utilities. Insured loans primarily finance the construction of electric distribution facilities in rural areas. Application deadline: Open

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage and solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Application deadline: Open

Community Wood Grant Program U.S. Forest Service U.S. Forest Service awards funding to shovel-ready projects to install a community wood energy system or build an innovative wood product facility. Application deadline: 4/22/2026

Competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP)
Federal Home Loan Bank Des Moines (FHLBDM) 
The program encourages partnerships between FHLBDM member financial institutions and local housing providers (sponsors) to secure funds for the purchase, construction or rehabilitation of affordable homeownership or rental housing units. FHLBDM serves AK, IA, ID, HI, MN, MO, MT, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY and the US Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Mariana Islands. Application deadline: 5/1/2026

Funding Opportunities Supporting
Community and Economic Development

Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Programs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. Application deadline: 3/31/2026

Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs. Application deadline: 3/31/2026

Value-Added Producer Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps U.S. agricultural producers enter into value-added activities. These grants support either: Planning activities (e.g., feasibility studies, business and marketing plans). Working capital needs (e.g., processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and salaries). Application deadline: 4/22/2026

Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loan guarantees to commercial lenders for loans to eligible rural businesses. Application deadline: Accepted from lenders year-round.

Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides financial support to qualified lenders whose loan applicants want to establish, reopen, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood processing facility that process ecosystem restoration byproducts from USDA Forest Service National Forest System lands. Application deadline:  Accepted until funds are expended.

Water & Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development helps private lenders provide affordable financing to qualified borrowers to improve access to clean, reliable water and waste disposal systems in rural areas. Application Deadline: Open

Veterinary Services Grant Program
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The purpose of the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services. There are two types of grants for VSGP: Education, Extension, and Training (EET) and Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE). Application deadline: 4/16/2026

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Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

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

Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to help remote Alaskan villages provide safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal systems for households and businesses. Application deadline: Open

Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps get safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal services to low-income communities that face significant health risks. Application deadline: Open

Community Innovation Grants
The Bush Foundation
The Bush Foundation offers Community Innovation grants to fund efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunities, then spread the best ideas across communities. Applicable for Applicants Sharing Geography with 23 Native nations or supporting MN, ND, or SD. Application deadline: Open

Resources

Rural Development Rural Philanthropy Project - Explore the impact of philanthropic organizations in rural communities, with the goal of understanding how much and where philanthropic grantmaking resources are located across the country. The written report provides a foundation for understanding RD’s ongoing work developing partnerships with philanthropic organizations. The online StoryMap is a user-focused tool for exploring and interacting with the research and data at a community level.

Enterprise's 2026 Rural Rental Housing Preservation Academy- The Academy is a series of no-cost training and peer learning sessions designed to help rural housing providers acquire and/or preserve USDA Rural Development (RD), HUD and LIHTC financed housing in their respective communities.

USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Lender Recertification Training-This session provides an overview of program highlights, loan purposes and terms, and applicant eligibility requirements. Whether you’re a new lender or looking for a refresher, this training will help you understand the fundamentals of USDA’s guaranteed loan program and how it supports rural homeownership

State Leadership–Rural Development has 47 State Offices with Politically Appointed State Directors. Learn more about your State Director today!

Stop Screwworm: Unified government response to protect the United States. Review Resources. 

Rural Data Gateway's Lender Lens–The Lender Lens is a series of data visualizations that enhance transparency and visibility into the USDA's Commercial Guaranteed Loan portfolio. Watch Public Webinar

Unlocking Opportunities: USDA Rural Development Programs for Native CDFIs–The Native CDFI Network presents a collaborative effort built to better access, leverage, and understand USDA programs in ways that align with your CDFI’s mission and your community’s needs.

USDA Success Story

Building a Legacy of Conservation and Sustainability in Texas

Meet John and Natasha Sawyer of Hill County, Texas, where the farm has been in the Sawyer family for nearly 100 years. These fourth-generation farmers have embraced a new era of agriculture. Transitioning from conventional methods to sustainable practices, they’ve adapted to the evolving landscape. Today, their fields flourish with corn, soft wheat, barley, and rye. The Sawyers have worked with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement sustainable conservation practices on the farm. Photo by NRCS Read more 

Events / Learning

March 19,2026 | Virtual Data, AI, and Digital Resilience –This session explores how enterprises are strengthening digital resilience using cloud-native capabilities, including AWS services that unify observability, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence to detect, respond, and recover faster. Register

March 26, 2026 | In Person –  Federal Partners Coalition – Join us for an in-person convening of the Federal Partners Coalition, bringing together federal professionals working across rural communities and tribes in the Pacific Northwest. Register

June 2-4,2026 | In Person Native CDFI Capital Access Convening Held each year, the Capital Access Convening (CAC) provides an important opportunity for practitioners, investors, and funders to focus on the impact Native CDFIs are making in their communities. Native CDFIs are instrumental in supporting rural communities by providing essential financial solutions. Register

NCAI's Workforce Development Toolkit – NCAI’s ongoing research examining the innovative approaches to workforce development that Tribal Nations and other Native-led workforce development entities are forging, how they are achieving success (as they define it), and why. Download the toolkit

​Contacts/Subscription

USDA Rural Development Innovation Center

View the previous edition of Innovation Matters

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

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