Funding Opportunities – April 19

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Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

USDA Rural Development offers many Energy Programs, Water & Environmental Programs,and Electric Programs.

ReConnect Program Round 5 
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)USDA Rural Development program that furnishes funding for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Application Deadline: 5/21/2024

Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program 
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development 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 Deadline: 10/1/2024

Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants 
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program to provide funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Federal Register Notice. Contact your State Energy Coordinator. Application Deadline: Various

Rural Energy Savings Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program provides loans to entities who provide energy efficiency services in rural areas that agree to make affordable loans to help consumers implement cost effective, energy efficiency measures. Application Deadline: Open

Distributed Generation Energy Project Financing 
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development loans and loan guarantees to energy project developers for distributed energy projects including renewables that provide wholesale or retail electricity to existing Electric Program borrowers or to rural communities served by other utilities. Application Deadline: Open

USDA Disaster Water Grants Program 
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development grants to help rural communities handle expenses related to specific presidentially declared disasters that damaged water systems. Water systems include all water resource infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater, storm drainage, and solid waste facilities. Application Deadline: See website

Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program 
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development loans and loan guarantees to 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.Letter of Intent: Ongoing

Weatherization Assistance Program 
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
DOE offers funding to support the improvement of heating and cooling of dwellings by the installation of weatherization materials for efficiency modifications. Grantees may receive formula-based allocations and can perform weatherization retrofits. YouTube. Press Release. Energy Saver Tools. Application Deadline: Open

Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) 
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 
DOT funding to support highway and freight projects of national or regional significance, including infrastructure projects in rural areas, expanded access to broadband, and projects that affect public health. Also available: Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program. Both Application Deadlines: 5/6/2024

Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program
U.S. Department of TransportationDOT funding to assist public entities in facilitating and evaluating public-private partnerships, and exploring innovative financing opportunities for eligible projects. This program joins the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, Thriving Communities Program, and other new technical assistance opportunities at DOT to ensure communities have the needed tools to access federal funding and financing for transformative infrastructure projects. Application Deadline: 5/9/2024

Renew America’s Schools Prize
U.S. Department of Energy 
DOE’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers competitive grants to make energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicle upgrades and improvements at public schools. Application Deadline: 6/13/2024

Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program 
U.S. Department of TransportationDOT’s Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) offers this program to help make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk costal infrastructure. Application Deadlines: Various

Additional Infrastructure Federal Resources: 

Funding Opportunities Supporting Community and Economic Development

Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program
U.S. Department of AgricultureUSDA Rural Development program to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to eligible applicants that will provide, rural communities use advanced telecommunications technology to connect to each other – and the world – overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Application Deadline: 4/29/2024 

Round 7 Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program 
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) 
DOI’s National Park Service funding 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: 04/30/2024  

Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) 
U.S. Department of AgricultureUSDA Rural Development program to provide help to new and existing cooperatives to strengthen their hands-on assistance, like leadership training and strategic planning, to small business owners and agricultural producers. Stakeholder Announcement. Application Deadline: 6/3/2024

Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) 
U.S. Department of AgricultureUSDA Rural Development program designed to improve the economic condition of rural areas by assisting individuals or entities in the startup, expansion, or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other business entities. Application deadline: 6/3/2024

Intermediary Relending Program 
U.S. Department of Agriculture 
USDA Rural Development funds for local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create new opportunities in rural communities. Application Deadline: To your RD State Office Quarterly

Regional Conservation Partnership Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA NRCS program to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis. Application Deadline: 7/2/2024 

WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects 
Department of the Interior
DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation funding for small-scale water efficiency projects. Application Deadline: 7/9/2024

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture 
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service program to protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land via financial and technical assistance. Application Deadline: Open

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
EPA funding and technical assistance to help water systems and states achieve the health protection objectives of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Application Deadline: Ongoing

Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA funding for community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening disadvantaged communities. Application Deadline: 11/21/2024

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Looking for more money? 
Search Open Funding Opportunities within DOE’s Office of Energy