 Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure Community Facilities ProgramsU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) USDA Rural Development offers direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America. Projects include fire and rescue stations, village and town halls, health care clinics, hospitals, adult and childcare centers, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, public buildings, schools, libraries, and many other community-based initiatives. Application Deadline: Open  *Community Facilities Success Story*USDA Rural Development Helps Search & Rescue Team Save Lives Each year, Wolfe County, Kentucky, sees tens of thousands of rock climbers, hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who visit Red River Gorge and surrounding recreational areas. Anyone who’s spent any time in the woods can tell you, sometimes bad stuff happens. Not only does the team handle a high volume of calls for service, but they also respond to a wide range of calls, from lost hikers to injured kayakers and rock climbers. The team can respond faster and handle more situations thanks to the help of USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Programs! Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program U.S. Department of AgricultureUSDA Rural Development offers this program that provides loan guarantees funding to assist in the development, construction and retrofitting of new and emerging technologies for: advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products. Letter of Intent: Required by 9/2/2024; Application by: 10/1/2024 Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) DOC National Telecommunications and Information Administration offers this program to support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption and meaningful use of broadband. Special provisions provided for rural communities, tribal organizations, and more covered entities to assist in the costs associated with hardware and construction of broadband. Application Deadline: 9/23/2024 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers this program to which provides funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. Application Deadline: 9/30/2024 Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers this program to increase the sales and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. The program is also intended to encourage a more comprehensive approach to market higher blends by sharing the costs related to building out biofuel-related infrastructure. Application Deadline: 9/30/2024 Funding Opportunities Supporting Community and Economic Development Intermediary Relending Program U.S. Department of AgricultureUSDA Rural Development offers funds to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create new opportunities in rural communities. Federal Register. Application Deadline: To your RD State Office Quarterly Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HUD will select up to 25 communities to develop and execute a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness. At least 8 of the selected communities will be rural. Applicants must be a collaborative registered through the most recent Continuum of Care Program. Application Deadline: 8/29/2024 Landowner Cost Share Payment Programs for Climate AND Landowner Payment Programs for Carbon U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service, through their Forest Landowner Support Programming, provides opportunities to issue cost share payments to landowners for various climate mitigation and/or forest resilience practices. Both Application Due: 9/30/2024 Foundation for Rural Service Community Grant Program Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) FRS offers this program to support local efforts to build and sustain a high quality of life in rural communities. Focus areas include business development, community development, education, and telecommunications. Application Deadline: 9/9/2024 YouthBuild Grants U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) DOL Employment and Training Administration program to support organizations that provide pre-apprenticeship services, including education, occupational skills training, and employment services, to opportunity youth aged 16 to 24. Applicants must include construction skills training and may include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries. Application Deadline: 9/16/2024 Good Jobs Challenge U.S. Department of Commerce The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) offers this program to support regional workforce training systems in designing and implementing activities for established sectoral partnerships that meet the existing and emerging skill needs of employers and that train and place program participants into good jobs. USDA and EDA Joint Resource Guide. Application Deadline: 9/27/2024 Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) DOT offers funding to support projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity. The program seeks to award funding to rural and tribal communities that face unique challenges related to mobility and economic development. Application Deadline: 9/30/2024 National Association of Realtors Rural Outreach Grant National Association of Realtors This grant opportunity is for state and local realtor association initiatives supporting a wide range of rural issues such broadband, well and septic, open space preservation, environmental standards, disaster prevention, and planning issues. Rural providers, facilities, and programs may approach local realtor associations with potential projects. Application Deadline: 10/15/2024 Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD offers funding opportunities for state and local governments to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation that help meet the demand for accessible and available housing in urban, rural, and tribal communities. Application Deadline: 10/15/2024 Community Change Grants Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EPA offers grants for community driven investments providing meaningful engagement for equitable governance. Application Deadline: 11/21/2024 |