Innovation Matters Funding Opportunities 3/24/2025

Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

Business and Industry Loan Guarantees
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers loan guarantees to lenders to provide loans to rural businesses. Qualified lenders may be located anywhere. Application deadline: Open

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in rural areas. Projects include fire and rescue stations, town halls, health care clinics, hospitals, childcare centers, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, public buildings, schools, libraries, and many other community-based initiatives. Application deadline: Open

Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Application deadline: Open

Family stands in opening of a home under new construction. Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides grants to organizations to help them carry out local self-help housing construction projects. Recipients supervise groups of very-low- and low-income individuals and families as they construct their own homes in rural areas. Application deadline: Open

Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe, and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to reduce applicants’ mortgage payments. Application deadline: Open

Funding Opportunities Supporting
Community and Economic Development

Community Connect Grants Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funds to establish broadband service in rural, economically challenged areas where service does not exist. Application deadline: 4/21/2025

Intermediary Relending Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides 1-percent-interest loans to local intermediaries who then relend to businesses to help improve economic conditions and create jobs in rural communities. Application deadline: 3/31/2025

Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations to provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and microentrepreneurs and to provide lending for microenterprise startups and growth. Application deadline: 3/31/2025

Rural Energy Savings Program 
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans to rural utilities and other companies that provide energy efficiency loans to qualified consumers to implement cost-effective energy efficiency measures. Application deadline: Open

value added producer grant portal photoValue-Added Producer Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to help agricultural producers enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income. Application deadline: 4/17/2025

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