In Dec. 2022, the White House released the first edition of a new resource titled Building a Clean Energy Economy: A Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investments in Clean Energy and Climate Action, which provides clear descriptions of the law’s tax incentives and funding programs to build a clean energy economy, lower energy costs, tackle climate change, and reduce harmful pollution. The Guidebook will help state, local, territorial, and Tribal leaders, the private sector, non-profit organizations, homeowners, and communities better understand how they can benefit from these investments and unlock the full potential of the law.
The Guidebook walks through the law program-by-program and provides background on each program’s purpose, eligibility requirements, period of availability, and other key details. The Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook follows the successful model of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook and creates a roadmap for the clean energy and climate funding available under the law at the program level. This Guidebook provides information on current and prospective clean energy and climate programs. In the coming weeks and months, new developments will be published on www.CleanEnergy.gov to keep stakeholders and potential beneficiaries up to date on the latest deadlines and details. To read and download the Guidebook, click on this link.
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In December 2022, FEMA released the 2022 National Preparedness Report, revealing the impacts that climate change and associated natural disasters continue to have on emergency management capabilities and communities across the country. This year’s report presents preparedness data through the lens of risks and capabilities and underscores the challenges that emergency managers face in addressing a continuously expanding risk environment, the ingenuity they have shown to rise to those challenges and opportunities that remain to better prepare the nation. Emergency managers and whole-community partners across the nation can look to this year’s report to help support decisions about program priorities, resource allocations and community actions.
The report includes the following findings, among others:
- Climate change continues to impact the nation and worsen existing vulnerabilities. The report found that in 2021, 92% of communities identified at least one natural hazard associated with climate change as being most stressful to emergency management capabilities in their assessments. The U.S. experienced a total of $20 billion climate and weather-related disasters.
- The nation may not be adequately prepared to provide sufficient Body Recovery/Storage and Medical Care in the face of a catastrophic disaster. When comparing total Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) data from 2021 against the National Capability Targets, the nation overall has the lowest capability in the Body Recovery/Storage and Medical Care target areas.
- Factors such as poverty, lack of access to transportation and over-capacity housing occupancy continue to weaken the ability of individuals and communities to prevent injury, death and financial loss in a disaster.
The report provides management opportunities outlining steps that can be taken by the whole community to address risks and capability gaps. These include detailed discussions regarding resources and best practices related to 1) building community-wide resilience to climate change impacts, 2) reducing physical and technological risks to critical infrastructure, and 3) increasing equity in individual and community preparedness. The information in this report was compiled from open-source research, analysis of community THIRA/SPR data and an interagency data call of more than 50 offices throughout federal government. Access the report at this link.
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In December, FEMA published a Restoration and Recovery Guide for Private-Public Partnerships. This 14-page guidance document provides recommendations and resources for jurisdictions to help plan and coordinate the restoration of community lifelines, plan and develop recovery strategies and implement recovery operations. To accompany the new Restoration and Recovery Guide, FEMA also released three Fact Sheets related to private-public partnerships and disaster resource identification:
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 In Nov. 2022, AT&T, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory launched the Climate Risk and Resilience Portal (ClimRR), which advances access to cutting-edge science for climate projections to help improve America’s preparedness for future climate extremes. Using climate science modeling that is among the most sophisticated methodologies worldwide, ClimRR gives state, local, tribal and territorial emergency managers and community leaders free access to localized data about future climate risks that can be used to explore strategies for resilience. Initial hazards included in ClimRR are temperature, precipitation, wind and drought conditions. Additional risks, such as wildfire and flooding, will be added in the coming months.
ClimRR provides peer-reviewed climate data sets in a nontechnical format and puts high-resolution, forward-looking climate insights into the hands of those who need them most. Community leaders and public safety officials can now understand how increasing climate risks will affect their populations. Access to this information will assist leaders as they strategically invest in infrastructure and response capabilities to protect communities for future generations.
Climate projections from ClimRR can be overlayed with community and infrastructure information sourced from the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT). Combining data from ClimRR and RAPT allows users to understand local-scale climate risks in the context of existing community demographics and infrastructure, including the location of vulnerable populations and critical infrastructure.
In Nov. 2022, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience (ELTRR), which lays out a whole-of-government approach to strengthen resilience and improve well-being in communities nationwide.
Championed by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and ODPHP, on behalf of an Interagency Workgroup composed of over 35 federal departments and agencies, the Plan was developed to address the deep disparities in health, well-being, and economic opportunity that were laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Interagency Workgroup identified opportunities for collaboration to maximize available resources across government agencies and improve resilience in our communities. The vision: “All people and places thriving, no exceptions.”
To realize that vision, the Plan uses the Seven Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being as the guiding framework:
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- Belonging and Civic Muscle
- Thriving Natural World
- Basic Needs for Health and Safety
- Humane Housing
- Meaningful Work and Wealth
- Lifelong Learning
- Reliable Transportation
Through 78 recommendations, the Plan maps out ways to harmonize and maximize federal resources to help improve the vital conditions. Learn more and read the Plan. Additional resources can be found at this link.
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 Last year, the U.S. experienced 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, leading to the deaths of at least 474 people. The 18 events (shown above in the figure), each exceeding $1 billion, put 2022 in third place (tied with 2011 and 2017) for the highest number of disasters recorded in a calendar year, behind 2021 — with 20 events — and 2020, with a record 22 separate billion-dollar events. Damages from these disasters totaled approximately $165.0 billion for all 18 events. This surpasses 2021 ($155.3 billion, inflation adjusted) in total costs, which makes 2022 the third most costly year on record, only behind 2017 and 2005; all inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars). Hurricane Ian was the most costly event of 2022 at $112.9 billion, ranking as the third most costly hurricane on record (since 1980) for the U.S., behind Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Harvey (2017).
Over the last seven years (2016-2022), 122 separate billion-dollar disasters have killed at least 5,000 people, with a total cost of more than $1 trillion in damages. Five of the last six years (2017-2022, with 2019 being the exception) have each had a price tag of at least $100 billion. Click here to read about Climate by the Numbers and other notable climate and weather events in 2022.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Disaster Recovery and Special Issues Division (DRSI) has officially transitioned to an office and will now be known as the Office of Disaster Recovery (ODR). The transition to an office will strengthen our operational processes so we can provide better, faster services. The office continues its mission to help communities recover and advance long-term recovery through three new divisions within ODR - the Policy Division, the Operations Division, and the Grants Management Division. This change strengthens ODR's ability to serve its grantees and other stakeholders, having better access and control of resources. It is important to note that becoming an office does not mean that CDBG-DR is becoming a program with an annual appropriation. Read more about this transition in the Jan. 2023 ODR Digest, a quarterly newsletter to keep grantees and partners informed on the latest policy issues affecting grantees, provide announcements on trainings, and highlight the work that Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery (CDBG-DR) and mitigation (CDBG-MIT) grantees are doing. ODR will continue to share important news on CDBG-DR funds and highlight changes to accelerate recovery.
In Nov. 2022, the EPA announced the selection of 29 Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) that will help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure projects that improve public health and environmental protection. The EFCs will deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribes, Territories, and non-governmental organizations to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and advance environmental justice. The selected EFCs will help underserved communities that have historically struggled to access federal funding receive the support they need to access resources for water infrastructure improvements. The newly selected EFCs will work to strengthen communities through projects focused on drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, clean air, greenhouse gas reduction, and toxic substances—and a focus of their work will be supporting overburdened and underserved communities. EPA will be engaging with the selected grantees to ensure communities in need receive this critical technical assistance. In Region 3, the EFCs are:
Category 1: Regional Multi-Environmental Media EFCs
Category 2: Regional Water Infrastructure EFC with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding
Category 3: National Water Infrastructure EFCs
In Nov. 2022, EPA released 20 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans that were developed by its major offices, including national program offices and all 10 regional offices. (EPA Region 3 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan shown to the right). These Implementation Plans reaffirm the strong commitments made in EPA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan to address the devastating impacts of climate change on communities across the nation, while advancing environmental justice and equity.
The 20 Implementation Plans provide a roadmap for the specific actions EPA will take in the years ahead to ensure it continues to protect human health and the environment even as the climate changes, and to partner with states, tribes, territories, local governments, and communities of all sizes to strengthen their ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change. The plans include over 400 commitments to ensure clean air, water, land, and chemical safety even as the climate changes. They also identify strategies that deliver co-benefits for mitigation of greenhouse gases and other pollution, public health, economic growth, national security, equity, and environmental justice—all central to building a more resilient future. The Implementation Plans recognize that climate disruption often hits already overburdened communities and people the hardest. The plans also consider the disproportionate impacts on those who are already overburdened and underserved in our society, including low-income communities and communities of color, children, the elderly, tribes, and indigenous people. Click here to access the 20 Implementation Plans.
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In Dec. 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced a record investment in projects that will help communities prepare for increasing coastal flooding and more intense storms, while improving thousands of acres of coastal habitats. The funding, in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD) and private sector partners, provides more than $136 million to support 88 natural infrastructure projects in 29 states and U.S. territories.
The grants awarded through NFWF’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) will leverage more than $94 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $230 million. When combined with eight grants announced earlier this year, the new grants will push the fund’s total amount awarded to more than $144 million in 2022. Together, these 96 coastal resilience grants will leverage more than $97 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $241 million.
The natural infrastructure projects provide a buffer for communities against increasingly intense storms and flooding, while also improving crucial habitats for fish and wildlife species. The projects will restore and create more than 16,000 acres of coastal habitats. Twenty-eight of these grants will fund construction activities for resilience projects, and 60 of them — 29 for planning and 31 for engineering and design — will advance community initiatives, with the ultimate goal of becoming shovel-ready resilience efforts.
Region 3 Projects include:
- Advancing Oyster Restoration with Shellfish Growers in New England, Mid-Atlantic, and West Coast (The Nature Conservancy)
- Building Capacity for Tidal Marsh and Sand Island Restoration on MD's Eastern Shore (National Audubon Society)
- Building Chickahominy Tribal Community Capacity to Create a Coastal Resilience Plan (VA)
- Constructing a Marsh Terraces Network to Improve Flood Resilience (City of Virginia Beach, VA)
- Designing a Resilience Action Plan for Maryland’s Coastal Communities (University of MD Environmental Finance Center)
- Developing and Piloting a Coastal Resilience Toolkit for Thin Layer Placement in Coastal Virginia (The Elizabeth River Project)
- Developing Climate Resilience Roadmap in Turner Station, Maryland (Baltimore County, MD)
To learn more about the NCRF, check out this short video found here. A list of the 2022 grants made through the NCRF is available here.
In Nov. 2022, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $30 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to a coalition of organizations to establish and operate a nationwide Economic Recovery Corps program. The new Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) will create a connected network addressing the resource gap between planning and implementation, boosting the capacity of communities to implement locally-driven economic development strategies. Through a $30 million cooperative agreement, the ERC will recruit and place more than 65 trained Fellows in economic development organizations throughout the nation. Serving three-year terms, Fellows will help organizations (known as Host Entities) develop and execute regional economic development plans and projects in the communities they serve.
The ERC program will be run by a coalition of organizations known as the Network Operator, who will develop and grow a strong network among the Fellows, producing real-time insights and benefit to extend across the larger economic development landscape.
The Network Operator is led by the International Economic Development Council. Other coalition members, include:
Through a combination of strategic, operational, and funding support, Fellows will enhance the capacity of their host organizations and help improve economic development outcomes in their host regions. Recruitment for Fellows and Host Entity eligibility will be announced in Spring 2023. Learn more about the Economic Recovery Corps in this video announcement.
In Jan. 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will create a plan to expand recreation economies to help people thrive across rural America. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, USDA Rural Development, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the U.S. Forest Service will partner to develop an annual plan to expand economic opportunities related to recreation in communities surrounding America’s national forests.
The annual plan will outline the ways the agencies will partner to conduct program outreach, host informational sessions and workshops, and develop toolkits to help people access the resources they need to thrive in recreation economies. The agencies will also:
- Provide technical and planning assistance to help local, state and Tribal leaders develop regional economic development plans that advance recreation economies.
- Provide funding under Rural Development and National Institute of Food and Agriculture programs to help U.S. Forest Service gateway communities expand resilient recreation infrastructure and business development projects that create jobs.
- Develop and maintain strategic partnerships, and more.
This announcement supports the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation to create safe, affordable, and equitable opportunities for Americans to get outdoors.
In response to Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and related priorities, CDC/ATSDR developed a national Climate and Health Strategic Framework. The framework will help communities track, prevent, and respond to the public health threats of climate change. This framework outlines CDC/ATSDR’s vision to achieve the following:
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Identify, raise awareness about, and address health inequities and environmental injustices worsened or affected by climate change
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Strengthen CDC/ATSDR’s and partners’ preparedness and response capabilities for climate-related emergencies
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Improve CDC/ATSDR’s ability to track climate-sensitive diseases, such as cholera, influenza, and those spread by mosquitoes
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Collect more information and data on how climate change is affecting people’s health
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Share information to protect communities from climate-sensitive diseases
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Digital equity is a core component of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program and must be woven throughout grantees’ plans and proposals. It is also the central objective of the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program. Successful infrastructure deployment requires that all communities can meaningfully adopt and use high-speed Internet services. To aid in planning efforts centered around digital equity, NTIA developed supporting resources, including:
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Digital Equity Guide for States: A comprehensive guide that includes the basic of digital equity, an overview of the Digital Equity Act and recommendations for weaving digital equity throughout all State-led broadband activities.
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Digital Equity Plan External Best Practices: Examples of well-formed digital equity plans that may serve as helpful references to States/Territories in writing their Digital Equity Plans.
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Digital Equity Needs Assessment Guide: Provides details on how to structure a needs assessment and includes examples from across the country and sample survey questions.
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Digital Equity Asset Mapping Guide: Guidance on how to identify and build upon the eligible entity’s existing resources, networks and strengths to achieving Internet For All. Includes guidance on reaching the right populations, understanding the digital equity ecosystem, and data management.
More digital equity technical assistance resources are available on the BroadbandUSA Digital Equity Programs webpage.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), to create new and more accessible pathways to federal funding and technical assistance partnerships for states, tribes, and local communities. Programs led by SCEP will help communities nationwide significantly accelerate the deployment of clean, reliable energy technologies, creating high-quality jobs, and helping ensure that households and businesses see lower energy bills and other benefits.
With $16 billion of funding from annual appropriations, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, DOE through SCEP, is delivering programs to further empower states, tribal nations, territories, local governments, school districts, and nonprofits, to catalyze local economic development, create good paying jobs, and reduce energy costs for families and businesses. For more information, visit the SCEP website.
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In Jan. 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a new up to $50 million program to help communities across the country transition to clean energy systems that are reliable, affordable, equitable, and reflective of local priorities. The Clean Energy to Communities program (C2C), led and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will connect local governments, electric utilities, community-based groups, and others with the innovative modeling and testing tools developed at DOE’s world-class national laboratories to transform their clean energy goals and ambitions into reality.
C2C provides integrated technical support to communities across renewable power, grid, mobility, and buildings sectors. The program seeks to provide the type and amount of support communities require to meet their unique interests and needs in transitioning to a clean energy economy. For C2C’s in-depth partnerships, this includes funding to support program participation.
C2C offers three levels of technical assistance:
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In-depth technical partnerships: Multi-year partnerships that provide cross-sector modeling, analysis, and validation, paired with direct funding to help four to five selected teams of local governments, electric utilities, and community-based organizations each their goals and/or overcome specific challenges.
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Peer-learning cohorts: Small groups of local governments, electric utilities, or community-based organizations that meet regularly for approximately six months to learn from each other and lab experts in a collaborative environment to develop program proposals, action plans, strategies, and/or best practices on a pre-determined clean energy topic. Cohorts will include approximately 100 communities in total.
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Expert match: Short-term assistance (40-60 hours) with one or more technical experts to help address near-term clean energy questions or challenges for up to 200 communities.
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In Jan. 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) launched the Community Power Accelerator™ to bring together investors, philanthropic organizations, developers, community-based organizations, and technical experts to work together to get more equitable community solar projects financed and deployed. The Accelerator will support developers with technical assistance and a Learning Lab to build a pipeline of verified, credit-ready projects that will connect with investors seeking to fund community solar in disadvantaged communities. Financial institutions and philanthropic organizations participating in the Accelerator have committed $5 billion in private sector financing for projects that are credit-ready.
The Accelerator includes the following programs:
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The Community Power Accelerator Prize is a new $10 million competition that will provide pre-development funds to organizations to build the expertise, experience, and capacity required to develop community solar projects at scale.
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An online platform, developed by DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, that will enable community-based organizations, intermediaries, and other mission-aligned project developers to connect with investors and philanthropic organizations seeking to fund a more diverse and community-based pipeline of community solar projects.
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A Learning Lab and technical assistance program will prepare community-based organizations, small or new solar developers, and others to develop, finance, and build “credit-ready” community solar projects—projects that are ready for financing.
More information can be found at this link.
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 DOE has developed a new “Energy Justice Mapping Tool for Schools” that builds on DOE’s original “Energy Justice Mapping Tool.” This new tool is intended to allow users to explore and produce reports for a specific school facility which include but are not limited to the following metrics: whether the school is located in a Disadvantaged Community (DAC); whether it is in a rural location (coded as 41, 42, 43); whether it is designated as a community shelter; the percentage of students who are eligible to receive free and reduced priced meals; and whether the school qualifies for Title I schoolwide programming.
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by Wynne Kwan, Community Planning & Capacity Building Coordinator, FEMA Region 3
Greetings Recovery partners!
It's a brand-new year - 2023 on the Gregorian Calendar and Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
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Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Drought, Oh My! With the start of the new year, gives us the opportunity to look back at the climate and extreme weather events across the U.S. in 2022. Per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we had an average, but destructive hurricane season, with 14 names storms, and an above average tornado year, with 1,331 tornadoes report, approximately nine percent (9%) above the 1991-2020 average across the contiguous U.S. Despite all the flooding events we saw this year, annual precipitation across the contiguous U.S. totaled 28.35 inches (1.59 inches below average), which placed 2022 in the driest third of the climate record. Drought coverage across the contiguous U.S. remained significant for the second year in a row, with a minimum extent of 44% occurring on September 6 and a maximum coverage of 63% on October 25 — the largest contiguous U.S. footprint since the drought of 2012.
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Another Year of Billion-Dollar Disasters. These trends point to the fact that climate change is happening (regardless of the cause) and it is costing us more and more each year in both dollars and lives. As highlighted in one of the articles this quarter, there were 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, resulting in the death of at least 474 people. According to NOAA's Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters website, there have 341 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion, with the total cost of all these 341 disasters exceeding $2.475 trillion. Check out the website to explore more data and information about these billion-dollar disasters, by types of disaster, costs, frequencies, etc. over time.
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Helping Local Communities Access Grant Funding. The passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) brings with it an overwhelming number of funding opportunities. However, despite these new federal funding opportunities, many urban and rural American communities are struggling to access the capital, capacity, and talent required to build critical community infrastructure projects. New support networks/initiatives, such as the Local Infrastructure Hub Grants Bootcamp and the 10,000 Communities Initiative, both highlighted in this newsletter, have been created to help these communities access these funds. These networks and initiatives bring together the funding and expertise from a variety of private, non-governmental, and philanthropic partners and stakeholders to support local communities.
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New FEMA Region 3 IRC Team Member. The FEMA Region 3 Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC) Team welcomed Brian Farkas in December 2022. Brian is the IRC Lead within the West Virginia FEMA Integration Team (WVFIT). Read more about Brian below.
As always, feel free to reach out - either directly or to the Region 3 NDRF mailbox (FEMA-R3-NDRF@fema.dhs.gov). In the meantime, take care!
FEMA Region 3 (R3) welcomed Brian Farkas in Dec. 2022. Brian comes to R3 in his new role as IRC in the West Virginia FEMA Integration Team (WVFIT) after working as a journalist/editor, state government public information officer, and executive director of a state government agency.
Brian’s journalism/editing career included working for newspapers in Weirton, Wheeling, and Charleston, W.Va. He transitioned to working for United Press International covering all facets of state government and West Virginia’s legal system. He ended his journalism career as The Associated Press’ news editor responsible for the wire service’s coverage of Virginia/West Virginia. In this position, he managed and directed an awarding-winning staff in both states to ensure the AP remained a news leader in the Virginias.
His government service started with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, where he was responsible for the agency’s public outreach efforts. He transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection where he created a full-service public information/public outreach program.
Brian ended his state government service as the executive director of the West Virginia Conservation Agency. The WVCA is charged with working with the state’s 14 conservation districts to improve agriculture through best management practices, maintaining the state’s small watershed flood-control infrastructure, and responding to natural disasters through its emergency watershed program.
Brian is married and has three grown sons who live in West Virginia, Brazil, and Pennsylvania. Besides walking with his dog, his favorite pastimes include baking, exploring new tastes in the kitchen, and looking for places to safely ride his bike.
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In Jan. 2023, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), along with the Wells Fargo Institute for Sustainable Finance, released a new report, “Investing in Resilient and Equitable Neighborhoods,” which highlights focus areas, best practices and strategies for communities looking to address the effects of the climate crisis. The report details five strategies for building resilient neighborhoods: smart land use, expanding micro-mobility, efficient buildings, flexible and local energy systems, and nature-based solutions. As climate change does not harm all communities equally, the report makes equity central to many of the strategies discussed.
The report also addresses the opportunity for federal funding. Both the climate and infrastructure acts passed by Congress last year provide millions for projects that mitigate climate and enhance resilience, particularly those that benefit disadvantaged communities. Governments should utilize, according to the report, “philanthropy-funded tools, such as the Local Infrastructure Hub grant search or Federal Funding Opportunities for Local Decarbonization tool." These can make it easier to navigate and prioritize which federal programs to pursue. The full report can be found here.
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 The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) will be hosting, Getting the Grant: Successfully Applying for ARC Funding Opportunities, a new in-person workshop series designed to help prospective applicants prepare to submit applications for ARC's 2023 funding opportunities. Getting the Grant: Successfully Applying for ARC Funding Opportunities workshop attendees will:
The CDFA Community Facilities Technical Assistance Program brings together CDFA’s knowledge of development finance programs, along with the strategic support from private sector partners, to create a transferrable toolkit of finance programs and other resources capable of leveraging community facilities infrastructure in rural communities throughout the nation. This program includes resources accessible to every rural community, including a Rural Finance Resource Center, Rural Finance Newsletter, and Rural Finance Toolkit, along with targeted technical assistance support to six rural communities.
With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), CDFA will provide technical assistance to communities from a dedicated team of two-three development finance experts. The selected communities will receive one on-site visit to discuss how the USDA Community Facilities Program can be used, a roadmap outlining recommendations and potential next steps, and ongoing support to apply for the USDA’s Community Facilities Program. Eligible communities must have a population of no more than 20,000 and have a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for hurricanes or wildfires in 2018 or floods or tornadoes in 2019. CDFA maintains a list of eligible states and counties for this program, and rural communities are encouraged to contact CDFA to determine eligibility. Space is limited! For more information and to apply, visit the Program webpage at this link!
In 2021, the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sponsored a two-year consensus study, Managed Retreat in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region, to examine and make findings and recommendations regarding the unique challenges associated with managed retreat among vulnerable coastal communities in the region.
To gather information for the consensus report, the authoring committee convened a series of three public workshops in the Gulf Coast region. The workshops, held in June and July of 2022, focused on policy and practice considerations, research and data needs, and community engagement strategies. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshops. To read the full publication, visit this link.
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 Submitting strong applications for federal infrastructure money can be challenging for small and mid-sized cities, towns, and villages. To assist underserved local governments with populations of 150,000 residents or fewer, the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Local Infrastructure Hub are offering a series of bootcamps. The bootcamps are designed to help local governments take advantage of the grant opportunities available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Over the next two years, there will be at least 30 bootcamps, each tied to a specific category of funding available as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Registration for the second set of bootcamps will launch in the spring. Please sign up to receive news about the next phase of bootcamps in 2023.
Towns and cities participating in these programs will receive support from NLC to develop a robust federal grant application, including access to templates, example submissions, and other resources that make for a well-composed application. The program provides a range of supports, including access to subject matter experts, individualized coaching sessions, office hours, and peer-to-peer learning where they can engage with a community of like-minded applicants aiming for infrastructure progress. The bootcamps, which require several hours of active participation each month, will last approximately three to four months. A major emphasis will also be placed on helping communities understand federal priorities, such as equity and sustainability, and then incorporate these and other desired outcomes into submissions. Click here for more information.
In partnership with other private and public organizations, the Milken Institute launched the 10,000 Communities Initiative in Jan. 2023 to ensure that cross-sectoral attention, federal technical assistance funding, and impact capital are effectively deployed to the underserved communities that need it most. The 10,000 Communities Initiative has launched an online platform where cities, counties, states, nonprofit organizations and others can upload their projects to be connected to training materials, tools, partners, investors, and communities who are working on the same sort of projects and challenges.
The initiative encourages local leaders, businesses, and nonprofits to hold local and regional training events to help accelerate applications and projects. The Milken Institute also invites organizations to join the effort by investing in projects and providing services or training. Current partners include Accelerator for America, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and the Local Initiatives Support Coalition.
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 The Atlas is a free online community for local government leaders to browse case studies, follow topics and crowdsource ideas and advice. The Atlas envisions a world where cities are safer, smarter, and more sustainable because city officials have quick, easy access to all of the solutions and partners they need to solve their toughest problems - like citizen engagement, climate change, and mobility. The Atlas is meant to be a “big tent” platform for local government leaders, with varied government departments represented: public works, planning, engineering, mayor's offices, sustainability and resilience, information/technology, and innovation. Resources available on The Atlas website include:
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Build Locally, Fund Federally: A Year of Lessons from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) - This report draws upon eight structured roundtable discussions with 8-14 state and local government officials each, as well as 82 one-on-one interviews of state and local government officials conducted between February 11 and September 14, 2022. The goal of this report is to paint a picture in time of how this historic federal funding is (and is not) being deployed, and to give insight into the attitudes and activities that are impacting the public officials responsible for leveraging federal infrastructure funding.
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The Infrastructure Deal: A Handbook for State and Local Government Leaders - This handbook helps state and local government leaders navigate their way successfully through the uncertainty surrounding implementation of IIJA. Each individual section features the specific funding areas most relevant to state and local governments included in the legislation – e.g. Broadband Expansion, Resilient Infrastructure and Transportation – and examples of the types of projects that could be funded in those areas.
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Case Study Database - The Atlas case study database features examples of city projects from around the world, submitted by 500+ members.
2022 was a historic year for cities, towns and villages, with direct federal funding coming to local governments to build and strengthen infrastructure projects around the country. Whether transportation, water or broadband, infrastructure is on communities’ to-do list every year. What made 2022 different was the level of support from Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Now is the time to consider your local government’s strategy and partnerships. Work smart by strategically considering which grants you choose to go after, and how you can collaborate with other partners. Many grants allow for team proposals with local and regional partners, which can give smaller communities support and clarity on how to move forward.
As local leaders look ahead to 2023, the National League of Cities (NLC) shares some of the top takeaways on infrastructure, one of local governments’ top priorities consistently year-over-year, every city, no matter the size, can use to go after federal grants in 2023:
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law transportation grants are rolling out with new competitions almost every month that cities can apply for, and states are also receiving large increases for transportation. Consider if you should apply directly or partner to access funds.
- State-local partnership remains important with the largest water and wastewater infrastructure programs continuing to flow through the states.
- Local governments can access some environmental and broadband federal infrastructure programs directly in addition to pursuing state programs.
- Cities can use programs and tax savings in the Inflation Reduction Act to work for their residents.
- Training programs are available to cities and towns of all sizes seeking to go after infrastructure funds.
- Infrastructure projects are a marathon with lots of small sprints along the way. If your city wants a piece of the federal infrastructure funding for a project, 2022 and 2023 are the years to get your plans and applications in order.
Click here to read for more information and links to additional resources.
 Brookings' Workforce of the Future Initiative has launched its new Smart Growth Cities Tool, an interactive guide for economic and workforce planning at the U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area and Economic Development District levels. The tool first uncovers the industry strategies that are most feasible for each of these areas; in other words, the strategies that best leverage an area’s underlying capabilities. The tool allows urban planners and economic developers to explore the trade-offs that are implied by each industry strategy in terms of economic growth, good job creation, and equitable job creation. And finally, a workforce plan for meeting the strategy is presented. The resulting industry and workforce plans can then be saved and shared with colleagues. Click here to access the tool.
Over a few months in 2022, the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group convened rural economic and community development practitioners from a diverse range of rural communities and Native nations to inform Through Natural Disaster to Prosperity: A Call to Action. Through this process five principles were identified to improve health and economic outcomes for rural communities and Native nations, as well as actionable steps to achieve these principles.
- Understand and address the underlying vulnerabilities unique to rural areas so we can be better positioned for disaster vulnerability, response, and recovery.
- Use policies to advance worldviews that recognize and restore balance and relationships among rural communities and natural systems.
- Use disaster response times to advance equity across race, place, and class and increase regional prosperity.
- Focus on building local and regional capacity to properly address disasters.
- Create more flexible and responsive funding streams at each stage from disaster preparation, to response and recovery.
Click here to read the full report.
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At the beginning of every year, the Penn Institute for Urban Research (PennIUR) asks urban experts to reflect on a question of importance to cities. This year's question was:
How should city leaders take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address pressing urban challenges such as climate change, economic disparities, and racial justice?
Unprecedented.” “Historic.” “Once-in-a-generation.” These are some of the ways that the thought leaders describe the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Together, the two acts will invest nearly $700 billion into American infrastructure, energy production, carbon reduction, deficit reduction, and much more. The responses point to a multitude of urban needs, such as transitioning away from car-centric infrastructure and catching up on decades of deferred maintenance. But one overarching theme is a call for city leaders to make strategic investments that will take full advantage of both pieces of legislation. Click on the links below to get a glimpse of the challenges and opportunities that will come with these legislative landmarks.
States need adequate revenues both in good times, when they can pay for bold, proactive investments that knock down long-standing barriers to opportunity and foster more broadly shared growth, and in bad times such as recessions, natural disasters, and public health emergencies, when they can help families and small businesses stay afloat and limit short-term harm, especially for low-income people, communities of color, and others who are most directly impacted. As they continue to address COVID-19’s lingering health and economic challenges, states can chart a course toward more prosperous, equitable economies and more widely shared well-being. To do so, they need strong and stable finances that are built on a foundation of sufficient tax revenues.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) developed a tool to help policymakers, advocates, and others better understand many of the various revenue-raising options available in their state. It also has some basic guidance and direction to more reading about things to consider when evaluating each choice. The tool provides basic details and guidance on states’ range of options, divided into six categories: Personal Income Taxes, Sales Tax, Corporate and Business Taxes, Tax Expenditures, Excise Taxes, Wealth Taxes, and Other Taxes. Click here to read more about and access this new tool.
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In Jan. 2023, researchers at New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), unveiled the Congressional District Health Dashboard (CDHD), a new online tool that provides critical health data for all 435 congressional districts and the District of Columbia. The dashboard incorporates 36 key measures of health, such as deaths from cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, along with conditions that affect health, like housing affordability and access to nutritious foods.
The Congressional District Health Dashboard enables users to:
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Explore rigorous, non-partisan data on health, education, poverty, and more by congressional district and compare these findings to state and national averages;
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Compare the rates of select metrics among different racial and ethnic groups within districts; and
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View any congressional district’s snapshot, with all 36 measures compared to the national average, along with district-specific population facts like age and racial/ethnic makeup.
Click here to access this new tool.
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FEMA Tackles Equity Challenges With Updated Cost-Effectiveness Methodology for Hazard Mitigation Grants
FEMA provides billions of dollars to communities each year through its mitigation grant programs. To get this funding, local officials have to show the federal government that their projects are cost effective. Cost effectiveness is calculated using a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA), which compares the future risk reduction benefits of a hazard mitigation project to its costs. Until FY 2022, FEMA considered a project cost-effective when its Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) was 1.0 or greater at a 7% discount rate. A lower discount rate means projects taking place today have more value. This helps communities meet BCA requirements.
FEMA has taken great strides over the years to update the BCA methodology. Still, it is thought to be one of the most challenging steps in the application process, particularly for underserved communities. FEMA received many comments on this issue in response to its 2021 Request for Information on FEMA programs, regulations, and policies. The comments said that the current BCA process makes it hard for smaller and lower-income communities to show their projects are worth the cost.
FEMA is tackling this challenge with an alternative BCA methodology for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation and Assistance (FMA) programs. This should make it easier for smaller and lower-income communities to get funding. For the FY 2022 application period, FEMA will call a project cost-effective if it meets all three of the conditions below.
- The BCR is at least 0.75 when using a 7% discount rate.
- The BCR is at least 1.0 when using a 3% discount rate.
The mitigation activity helps disadvantaged communities; addresses climate change impacts; has benefits that are hard to quantify; and/or is subject to higher costs due to the use of low carbon building materials or compliance with the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard.
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Upcoming FEMA Region 3 Coffee Break Webinars
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 3 is hosting a webinar series for hazard mitigation planners and other partners interested in reducing risk in their communities. These “Coffee Breaks” are hour-long webinar sessions hosted every other month to provide mitigation best practices and highlight the work happening at federal, regional, state, and community levels to reduce risk across the region. Click here to register for any or all of the following upcoming FEMA Region 3 Coffee Break Mitigation Webinars:
- Discovering Mitigation Alternatives. Mar. 22, 2023, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
- Refining Your Hazard Mitigation Plan's Scope of Work. May 17, 2023, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
- Preparing for Climate Change Impacts. July 19, 2023, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
- Exploring the Hazard Mitigation Planning Process. Sept. 20, 2023, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
- Conducting a Risk Assessment. Nov. 8, 2023, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
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FEMA Resource Reports and Advisories
Federal Agency Funding Opportunities Lists/Resources
Funding Opportunities Opening Soon!
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Community Connect Grants: Provides, on a “community-oriented connectivity” basis, broadband service that fosters economic growth and delivers enhanced educational, health care and public safety benefits. Application Window: Projected Spring Opening.
The GrantStation Insider is filled with the latest national and regional grant opportunities, as well as upcoming federal deadlines that will assist the serious grant-seeker. This newsletter is delivered each week on Thursday. Click here to subscribe.
The Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI) is a competitive grant program that will foster catalytic change in city cycling infrastructure around the world. Application Deadline: Feb. 3, 2023.
The National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program (Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) Program) is an annual competitive grant program that awards grants to eligible entities for projects for the replacement, removal, and repair of culverts or weirs that meaningfully improve or restore fish passage for anadromous fish. Anadromous fish species are born in freshwater such as streams and rivers, spend most of their lives in the marine environment, and migrate back to freshwater to spawn. Application Deadline: Feb. 6, 2023.
Under the YouthBuild Funding Opportunity Announcement, DOL will award grants through a competitive process to organizations providing pre-apprenticeship services that support education, occupational skills training, and employment services to opportunity youth, ages 16 to 24, while performing meaningful work and service to their communities. Application Deadline: Feb. 7, 2023.
Grants for Arts Projects is the NEA's largest grants program for organizations, providing comprehensive and expansive funding opportunities for communities. Through project-based funding, the program supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. Application Deadline: Feb. 9, 2023, and July 6, 2023.
This solicitation is anticipated to be $5 million over a 5-year period of performance for each geographical region that corresponds to EPA’s 10 Region and $3 million for Nationwide Technical Assistance. Application Deadline: Feb. 14, 2023.
The EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) is soliciting applications for funding under Section 104(k)(7) of CERCLA, which authorizes funding to eligible entities to provide training, research, and technical assistance to facilitate the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation. Grants awarded under this solicitation will help communities, organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, and individuals tackle the challenge of cleaning up and revitalizing brownfield properties. Application Deadline: Feb. 14, 2023.
The EPA is soliciting applications for a wide variety of projects that are designed to build and transform solid waste infrastructure in the United States to equitably reduce waste and manage materials to achieve a circular economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create cleaner, resilient, and healthier communities. Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2023.
The EPA is seeking applications proposing projects that inform the public about new or existing residential or community recycling programs; provide information about the recycled materials that are accepted as part of a residential or community recycling program that provides for the separate collection of residential solid waste from recycled material; and increases collection rates and decreases contamination in residential and community recycling programs. Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2023.
The Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies. Mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more are invited to submit proposals for projects that demonstrate close partnership between artists, arts organizations, and city government. Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2023.
This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue. Rural public entities including, but not limited to, towns, communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofit corporations, institutions of higher education, federally-recognized tribes, and rural cooperatives are eligible to apply for this program. Application Deadline: Feb. 28, 2023.
RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. Application Deadline: Feb. 28, 2023.
The mission of CREATE ACTION is to amplify the efforts of local organizations through funding, storytelling, and collaboration with Sony. CREATE ACTION grants support organizations in the United States and Canada serving their local communities in areas such as STEAM/academic enrichment, workforce development, and nonprofit services for underserved and under-represented groups. One grant will be awarded each month through March 2023. Guidelines and the online application are available on the CREATE ACTION website. Application Deadline: Feb, 28, 2023 and Mar. 31, 2023.
The Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at either a: K–12 School; or Non-profit organization (501(c)(3) in the US/Registered Charity in Canada) that serves children in the K-12 grade range. Application Deadline: Mar. 1, 2023.
Through the Financial Empowerment Cities (FE Cities) initiative, the CFE Fund will support cohorts of local leaders, trained in a new two-year FE Fellowship training program. Each FE Fellow will work with the CFE Fund to launch and lead a newly established local Office of Financial Empowerment, managing existing and launching new financial empowerment programs and initiatives. FE Fellows will also serve as the local government’s internal financial empowerment consultant; bring a financial stability lens to a range of related issues; and leverage their leadership role to ensure financial empowerment is central to local anti-poverty efforts. FE Fellows also will be well-positioned to bring financial empowerment services and expertise into local racial equity efforts. Up to five local governments (city or county) will receive $170,000 in grant funding, plus extensive training and technical assistance over two years, to create an Office of Financial Empowerment that institutionalizes local financial empowerment efforts. Application Deadline: Mar. 4, 2023.
The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. Application Deadline: Mar. 6, 2023.
This program provides funding for capital projects that reduce the state of good repair backlog, improve performance, or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service, including privately operated intercity passenger rail service, if an eligible applicant is involved. Application Deadline: For projects not located on the Northeast Corridor, Mar. 7, 2023; for projects located on the Northeast Corridor, Mar. 27, 2023.
On June 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $1 billion investment in the country’s emergency food network so that food banks and local organizations can reliably serve their communities. Of that $1 billion amount, USDA is making $100 million available for a grant initiative – TEFAP Reach and Resiliency - aimed at helping food assistance organizations meet The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) requirements, strengthen infrastructure, and expand TEFAP’s reach into underserved communities. The key objective of the TEFAP Reach and Resiliency – Round 2 grant is to: Expand TEFAP’s reach into remote, rural, Tribal, and/or low-income areas that are underserved by the program. Application Deadline: Mar. 6, 2023.
The CDFA Minority Capital Loan Guarantee Program aims to increase access to capital for businesses in communities that have been historically excluded from opportunity. With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), CDFA has developed a 10-year, $18 million loan guarantee program to help development finance agencies (DFAs) in the United States deliver capital in a more equitable manner. RWJF is providing additional grant funds to support the training, continuing education, and technical assistance aspects of the program. The CDFA Minority Capital Loan Guarantee Program is open to development finance agencies (DFAs) who are committed to advancing racial and economic justice. DFAs must have their capital to lend or have a clear plan for how they will build a lending program. Application Deadlines: Mar. 10, 2023.
To create new opportunities for those experiencing poverty, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to help improve transit in areas experiencing long-term economic distress. The $20 million in competitive grant funding through FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) Program provides more resources to underserved and disadvantaged communities seeking to expand or improve transit. Application Deadlines: Mar. 10, 2023.
The purpose of the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction (LHR) grant program is to maximize the number of children under the age of six protected from lead poisoning by assisting states, cities, counties/parishes, Native American Tribes or other units of local government in undertaking comprehensive programs to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in eligible privately-owned rental or owner-occupied housing populations. Application Deadlines: Mar. 14, 2023.
The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. In 2023, the AARP Community Challenge is accepting applications across three different grant opportunities, two of which are new this year: flagship grants; capacity-building microgrants (new); and demonstration grants (new). Application Deadlines: Mar. 15, 2023.
The GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to foster understanding of how they might improve the health and nutrition status of participating households. Application Deadlines: Mar. 15, 2023.
Through the Capital Magnet Fund, the CDFI Fund provides competitively awarded grants to CDFIs and qualified non-profit housing organizations. These awards can be used to finance affordable housing activities, as well as related economic development activities and community service facilities. Awardees are able to utilize funds to create financing tools such as loan loss reserves, revolving loan funds, risk-sharing loans, and loan guarantees. Application Deadlines: Mar. 21, 2023.
Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) competitive grants initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education; business and start-up costs for new farmers; and development of policies related to zoning and other needs of urban production. Grants are divided into two categories:
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Planning projects initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education; business and start-up costs for new farmers; and development of policies related to zoning and other needs of urban production.
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Implementation Projects accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor, and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers. Projects will improve local food access and collaborate with partner organizations and may support infrastructure needs; emerging technologies; educational endeavors; and urban farming policy implementation.
A pre-recorded webinar on this program provides an overview of the grants’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. Application Deadlines: Mar. 27, 2023.
HUD is announcing the availability of approximately $72,158,000 in FY 2022 funding for its Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program (Community Compass). As HUD’s integrated technical assistance (TA) and capacity building initiative, Community Compass is designed to help HUD’s customers navigate complex housing and community development challenges by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, tools, capacity, and systems to implement HUD programs and policies successfully and sustainably and provide effective administrative and managerial oversight of HUD funding. Community Compass brings together TA investments from across HUD program offices, including the offices of Community Planning and Development, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Housing, and Public and Indian Housing. This cross-funding approach allows TA to address the needs of grantees and subgrantees across multiple HUD programs, often within the same engagement, as well as address intra-agency and inter-agency issues. Through this NOFO, HUD will also address the TA needs of some emerging priorities that include: Violence Against Women Act's (VAWA) 2022 Reauthorization, racial and gender equity, transit-oriented development, housing supply, reentry housing for persons exiting jails and prisons, and mental health. Application Deadlines: Mar. 28, 2023.
The Grid Resilience Formula Grants program is designed to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis. The program will distribute up to $2.3 billion over five years and will provide grants to States, territories, and Tribes based on a formula that includes, among other things, population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. Priority will be given to projects that generate the greatest community benefit providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy to everyone, everywhere, anytime. Application Deadlines: Mar. 31, 2023.
USDA Rural Development loan and grant program that provides zero-interest loans and grants to current and former eligible Rural Utilities Service borrowers to then use the funds to help local businesses finance projects to create and retain jobs or finance community facility projects. Application Deadline: to RD State Office on a quarterly basis - Mar. 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023.
USDA Rural Development program provides loans and grants to a non-profit entity, tribe or institution of higher education as a Microenterprise Development Organization (MDO) to establish revolving loan funds to provide loans to rural microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs. Application Deadline: to RD State Office on a quarterly basis - Mar. 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023.
USDA Rural Development program which provides low-interest loans to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend the funds to businesses to improve economic conditions and create new opportunities in rural communities. Application Deadline: to RD State Office on a quarterly basis - Mar. 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023.
Peoples Bank has strong roots in the states that comprise our footprint – Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland and it’s where our charitable giving is focused. In large and small communities alike, we assist organizations that are seeking to improve the quality of life for individuals and families. Foundation contributions are given to all segments of our community to foster a lasting impact and we continue to increase our support of local programs that help low- to moderate-income individuals and families. Application Deadline: March 31, 2023; June 30, 2023; September 30, 2023; and December 11, 2023.
USDA Rural Development funding for agriculture producers and rural small businesses to purchase, install, and construct renewable energy systems or complete energy efficiency improvements. Application Deadline: Mar. 31, 2023; Loan Guarantees are accepted year-round.
The Telecommunications (Telecom) Program provides reduced rates to rural health care providers (HCPs) for telecommunications and voice services for the use of telemedicine and telehealth. Eligible services are discounted at the difference in cost between urban and rural areas in your state. Application Deadline: Apr. 1, 2023.
The Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF) Program provides a 65% discount on eligible broadband connectivity expenses for eligible rural health care providers (HCPs). You can apply as an individual health care provider or as a consortium, i.e., a group of HCPs that can be both rural and non-rural. Application Deadline: Apr. 1, 2023.
The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Model EJG2G programs should leverage existing resources to develop processes or tools that integrate environmental justice considerations into governmental decision-making at all levels. Application Deadline: Apr. 10, 2023.
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. The program assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions to environmental or public health issue(s) at the community level. Application Deadline: Apr. 10, 2023.
The purpose of the Low-No Program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The Low-No Program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is hosting two webinars to provide information to potential applicants, including a review of program eligibility, an overview of the evaluation criteria and selection considerations, and the submission process. The purpose of the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program is 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: Apr. 13, 2023.
The purpose of the Housing-related Hazards Capital Fund (HRHCF) & Lead-based Paint Capital Fund Program (LBPCF) is to evaluate and reduce residential health hazards in public housing, including lead-based paint, carbon monoxide, mold, radon, fire safety, and asbestos. Application Deadline: Apr. 13, 2023.
USDA Rural Development program to provide rural communities with training and technical assistance to improve passenger transportation services and facilities. Contact your nearest USDA office for more information. Application Deadline: Apr. 19, 2023.
The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas. Application Deadline: Apr. 20, 2023.
The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL section 40541 and the broader government-wide approach to support projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts, create innovative, sustaining partnerships, leverage funding and economies of scale, focus on disadvantaged communities, improve student, teacher, and occupant health, enrich learning and growth, assist schools that serve as community assets (e.g., neighborhood cooling centers or disaster recovery shelters), and are crafted thoughtfully within the context of public school facilities (e.g., procurement restraints, construction windows, etc.). Application Deadline: Apr. 21, 2023.
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to groups/communities with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural contributions to share that are underserved. Application Deadline: Apr. 27, 2023.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. See the EECBG Program Formula Grant Application Hub for more information. Pre-Award Information Sheet Due on Apr. 28, 2023. States can apply for EECBG Program formula funding through July 2023; local governments and Tribes can apply through Jan. 2024.
The STORM Act is an amendment to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow the Administrator of FEMA to provide capitalization grants to States or Indian tribal governments to establish revolving loan funds to provide hazard mitigation assistance to local governments to reduce risks from disasters and natural hazards, and other related environmental harm. Application Deadline: Apr. 28, 2023.
Funds for FY 2023 PIDP grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to assist in funding eligible projects for the purpose of improving the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports. This notice announces the availability of up to $662,203,512 in funding for grants under this program and establishes selection criteria and application requirements. Application Deadline: Apr. 28, 2023.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) will solicit applications to award approximately $1.5 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary grant funds to Community Development Corporations (CDCs) to stimulate new CED project development through administrative capacity building. The objective of the CED Planning Grants is to stimulate new projects in underserved and under resourced communities. Application Deadline: May 15, 2023.
The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), National Park Service offers grants to states, and through states to local units of government and federally-recognized Indian tribes, for projects that will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public through the acquisition of lands and waters for parks and other outdoor recreation areas, as well as through the development of new, or the renovation of existing, outdoor recreation facilities. Application Deadline: May 31, 2023.
The WORC Initiative provides grant funds to enable impacted communities to develop local and regional workforce development solutions aligned with existing economic development strategies and community partnerships to promote new, sustainable job opportunities and long-term economic vitality. Application Deadline: June 5, 2023.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) supports local Stand Down events that assist veterans experiencing homelessness by providing a wide range of employment, social, and health services. VETS awards these noncompetitive grants on a first-come, first-served basis to support one-day or multi-day events at up to $7,000 or $10,000, respectively. They are collaborative events coordinated between VA, DOL, other federal, state, and local government agencies and community-based organizations providing services and supplies to veterans experiencing and at risk of homelessness. In the event of a federal disaster declaration, VETS will accept applications up to $50,000 to conduct Stand Down events in the impacted areas. Application Deadline: Sept. 30, 2025.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has published the Fiscal Year 2021-2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Research and National Technical Assistance projects. This NOFO makes $1.5 million available for Research and Evaluation (R&E) projects and $1.0 million available for National Technical Assistance (NTA) projects. Application Deadline: There are no submission deadlines under this NOFO. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the termination of this NOFO or publication of a superseding RNTA NOFO.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) offers this new Multi-State Funding for applicants to highlight partnerships across multiple states and provide a plan that showcases the economic impact of proposed project. Application Deadline: Accepted on a Rolling Basis.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) offers three programs that promote digital inclusion and advance equity for all to ensure all communities have affordable access and can use the internet to improve their lives.
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State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program: A $60M formula grant program for states, territories and tribal governments to develop digital equity plans.
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State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program: A $1.44 billion formula grant program for states, territories, and tribal governments. It will fund an annual grant program for five years in support of digital equity projects and the implementation of digital equity plans.
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Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program: A $1.25 billion grant program. It will fund annual grant programs for five years to implement digital equity projects.
The State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program is currently open. The other two programs will open later. Download the Program Information Sheet.
The Local and Tribal Road Safety Mentoring, Assistance, Training, and Communication Help (MATCH) Program provides FREE, broad-based technical assistance to local and tribal agencies facing roadway safety challenges. The program connects agencies requesting assistance with volunteers who have specific expertise to help successfully address the identified challenges. Fill out and submit this form to request technical assistance. The form must be submitted by a public agency. Once the application form is submitted, the MATCH Coordinator will then contact the requestor to gather more information and determine the best approach for providing technical assistance.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and FedEx have teamed up to create the Small Business Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) Program. This program helps small businesses prepare for a disaster and offers immediate relief funding for those prepared businesses when a disaster strikes their region. More than 100 grants of $5,000 each are expected to be distributed between June 2022 and May 2023.
Virtual Living Room® is an Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) grant program that blends rural technology, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resources, and local support to encourage veteran use of advanced medical technologies. Virtual Living Room® saves veterans travel time and costs while enabling connections to skilled physicians and other providers in the VA medical system such as telehealth and other online resources. Application Deadline: Ongoing.
Housing Assistance Council (HAC) provides short-term loans at below market interest rates to local nonprofits, for-profits, and government entities that are working to develop affordable housing for low-income, rural communities. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
USDA Rural Development is seeking applications to implement projects supported by regional economic and community development planning to help the people of rural America build back better. Covered programs include Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program, Community Facilities Loan Guarantee Program, Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loan and Grant Program, Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees, Rural Business Development Grants, and Community Connect Grants. Applicants must meet the requirements and deadlines under the covered programs.
This program provides funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression. An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings. Application Deadline: Open.
USDA Seeks Applications to Support Regional Economic and Community
Development Planning to Help Rural People
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications to implement projects supported by regional economic and community development planning to help the people of rural America build back better. The 2018 Farm Bill authorized USDA to make this funding available under the Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) initiative. It can be used to implement projects that are supported by multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral strategic community investment plans. In fiscal year 2022, this funding is available under the following USDA Rural Development programs:
To be eligible for SECD reserved funding, applicants must meet the requirements and deadlines under the
covered programs. Applicants must also submit a Form 1980-88 to USDA. See additional requirements below.
For more information on requirements and deadlines under the covered programs, visit www.rd.usda.gov. For additional information on SECD funding, see page 57409 of the Oct. 15, 2021, Federal Register.
The Community Innovation (CI) grant program is a flexible program that invests in great ideas and the people who power them across our region. CI grants fund the most promising ideas, across issue areas that have the potential to make our region better for everyone. Through this program, the Bush Foundation aims to:
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Develop, test and spread great ideas: CI grants invest in efforts to develop and test ideas to solve problems and create opportunity, and then spread the best ideas across communities.
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Inspire, equip and connect leaders: Great ideas spread through people. CI grants invest in efforts to inspire, equip and connect leaders to more effectively lead change.
There is no application deadline for our Community Innovation grants — applications are accepted year-round. The Bush Foundation strongly suggests that all potential applicants schedule a call with the Bush Foundation team before putting together an application.
T-Mobile partnered with Smart Growth America and Main Street America, two consulting partners with a combined experience of over 60 years working to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. With our Hometown Grant program, we’re investing big in small towns by awarding up to 100 towns a year with project funding—up to $50,000 each. Applications will be open on a quarterly basis with the following schedule:
- Spring: Applications open January – March
- Summer: Applications open April – June
- Fall: Applications open July – September
- Winter: Applications open October – December
USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Emergency Rural Health Care Grants are designed to help broaden access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, rural health care services, and food assistance through food banks and food distribution facilities. Recovery Grants provide immediate relief to address the economic conditions arising from the COVID-19 emergency. Application Deadline: Until all funds are exhausted.
Community Response Projects are supported for up to $5,000 over a 6-month time frame and will be awarded to community-based organizations that provide supports to people with developmental disabilities who have been affected by a local, statewide, or national, natural disasters. This can include, but is not limited to, addressing concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Community Response Project funding should be used to develop training or increase accessibility to information for individuals with developmental disabilities and their family members. This funding opportunity is year round/ongoing/rolling.
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: Ongoing.
USDA Rural Development loans and loan guarantees for the construction, maintenance, improvement, and expansion of telephone service and broadband in rural areas. Application Deadline: Ongoing.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
The electric program makes 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. The guaranteed loan program has been expanded and is now available to finance generation, transmission, and distribution facilities. The loans and loan guarantees finance the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation facilities, including system improvements and replacement required to furnish and improve electric service in rural areas, as well as demand side management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems. Application Deadline: Ongoing.
Who may apply? Most retail or power supply providers serving qualified rural areas, including:
- State and local governmental entities
- Federally recognized tribes
- Nonprofits including cooperatives and limited dividend or mutual associations
- For-profit businesses (must be a corporation or limited liability company)
This program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects. Application Deadline: Ongoing.
Who may apply?
- Most state and local governmental entities
- Nonprofits
- Federally recognized tribes
The Emergency Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program, an FAIC program supported under a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, aims to support museums impacted by disasters. The goal of a CAP is to improve the care of collections for museums with limited resources. Two assessors, a collections care/conservation specialist and a building specialist, are selected by the affected museums. The assessors will provide specific guidance on prioritizing what actions will have the greatest impact for collections care. The Emergency CAP focuses on providing recommendations for assessing risk, improving impacted facilities, and other recovery strategies to help care for collections affected by an emergency incident.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and the assessments are completed on a timeline established by the requesting museum. Over a two-day site visit, the two assessors will evaluate what are the most immediate collections threats and later provide a report to the institution with their recommendations for moving forward. Institutions should apply as soon as they are able.
This program is available for U.S./Tribal/Territory museums of any size with at least one full time staff member or volunteer(s) totaling 40 hours per week. Collections must be made available to the public through exhibitions or research regularly. Larger institutions will receive a more narrowly focused report due to the amount of information that can be gathered during a two-day site visit. Museums interested in applying for an Emergency CAP should contact program staff at cap@culturalheritage.org or 202.750.3346.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC) Program is offering up to $2.5 million to provide tools and resources that integrate technology into all levels of society. The S&CC program is intended to bring increased levels of economic opportunity & growth, safety & security, health & wellness, accessibility & inclusivity, and overall quality of life to communities.
Competitive applicants should work alongside community stakeholders to identify and define challenges they are facing to establish research priorities. NSF highly encourages research that addresses fundamental technological and social science dimensions of smart and connected communities and considers the sustainability of the research outcomes beyond the life of the project.
All interested in conducting science & technology research and development are welcome to apply. No match is required. Applications for the Smart and Connected Communities program are rolling and will be awarded on a first-come basis.
USDA Rural Development partners with lenders to guarantee loans to help eligible entities expand meat and poultry processing capacity and finance other food supply chain infrastructure. Fact Sheet. Federal Register. Application Deadline: Until funds are exhausted.
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