A monthly publication brought to you by the USDA Rural Development Innovation Center's Strategic Engagement Division.
Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure
Community Facilities Direct Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects include fire and rescue stations, town halls, health care clinics and hospitals. Application deadline: Open
Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities (CF) in rural areas. Examples of community facilities include health care facilities, buildings like town halls, and public safety facilities such as fire departments. Application deadline: Open
Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers financial assistance to eligible service providers that will construct, improve, or expand telecommunication and broadband networks in rural areas. Application deadline: Open
Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage and solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Application deadline: Open
Water and Waste Disposal Pre-development Planning Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers grants to help eligible low-income, rural communities plan and develop applications for the Water and Waste Disposal loan/grant and loan guarantee programs. Application deadline: Open
Funding Opportunities Supporting
Community and Economic Development
Distributed Generation Energy Project Financing
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans and loan guarantees to energy developers for distributed energy projects that provide wholesale or retail electricity to electric utilities serving rural communities. Application deadline: Open
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans to utilities that provide retail electric service to help consumers save money, reduce the need to purchase or generate energy, reduce electricity emissions, and help strengthen rural economies through energy efficiency and conservation projects. Application deadline: Open
Brownfields Job Training Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
EPA provides funding to eligible entities, including nonprofits, to help unemployed and underemployed residents prepare for careers in environmental cleanup and sustainable redevelopment. Application deadline: 9/26/2025
Coastal Program
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
The U.S. DOI Fish and Wildlife Service offers this community-based program which provides technical and financial support to address conservation challenges of priority coastal ecosystems through cooperative agreements. The goal is to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats on both public and private lands. Application deadline: 9/30/2025
Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
National Rural Health Resource Center
A federally funded program that offers assistance to rural hospitals, at no cost to them, to help improve their financial stability by enhancing or expanding health care services that meet community needs. Application deadline: Open, rolling basis
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program
A federally funded initiative that offers comprehensive technical assistance to rural hospitals to address financial and operational challenges and maintain essential health services for their communities. Application deadline: 9/30/2025
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Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities
USDA Rural Development’s Tribal Relations web page
offers a calendar of events, funding opportunities, news releases, success stories, and more!
Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to help remote Alaskan villages provide safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal systems for households and businesses. Application deadline: Open
Tribal College Initiative Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to Tribal colleges for infrastructure improvements, to purchase equipment, and to develop essential community facilities. Application deadline: Open
Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps get safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal services to low-income communities that face significant health risks.
Application deadline: Open
Community Development Block Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD offers competitive grants to Indian tribes for the development of decent housing, suitable living environment and economic opportunities to advance viable Indian and Alaska Native communities. Application deadline: 11/24/2025
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Resources
Apprenticeship USA is the one-stop source to connect career seekers, employers, and education partners with apprenticeship resources. Discover apprenticeships across industries, how programs are started by employers, and how to become an apprentice.
Cooperative Extension. A Key Partner in Disaster Preparedness — Through its network of local offices, Extension helps farmers, families and businesses prepare for emergencies through programs and resources tailored to the specific risks that a community may face.
Find Your Local Service Center — USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Click on your state and county to find your local service center and agency offices.
Lender Match — Find out which U.S. Small Business Administration guaranteed loan program is best for your business, then use Lender Match to be matched to lenders.
Tribal Grant Writing Training -
Online training and resources to help with writing American Indian/Alaska Native grant proposals and/or to train others to do so.
USDA Rural Development Success Story
Clearing the Way for a Safer Community
The city of Colman received a Community Facilities Direct loan for a payloader to assist with cleanup after storms.
When storms hit rural communities, oftentimes fewer resources are available to assist them in cleanup efforts. This is the case for the east-central community of Colman with a population of 600 citizens. The city’s budget is tight, leading to stretched-thin resources.
When Grant Groos, Colman Maintenance Supervisor, started with the city 23 years ago – all he had access to clear the streets with following storms was an old road maintainer. As time went on, the city approved the purchase of a used 1984 Case W24 payloader. The payloader served its purpose for many years, but parts became scarce, and repairs were expensive. In 2021, the city approved the purchase of a new payloader.
During Groos’ research for financing options for a new payloader, he learned that USDA Rural Development could finance maintenance equipment.
Read more
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