CARSON CITY — USDA is seeking applications for technical assistance and training grants in the Community Facilities program to help communities develop applications and plan for long-term community facility needs. Communities with populations of 20,000 or less are eligible.
The grants are being provided through the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program. Congress authorized this new program in the 2014 Farm Bill to help rural communities develop their applications for Community Facilities loans and grants. A webinar on the grant program is scheduled for 11 a.m. June 20. Go to the CC Ready Talk Website at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/g7so3i1092je&eom to register for the 1 1/2 hour long webinar.
Communities can use the grants to hire specialized personnel, pay for feasibility studies, and retain consultants to prepare financial assistance applications and identify and plan for long-term community facility needs.
Providing technical assistance will help more rural communities qualify for loans and grants. Many often lack access to specialized personnel who complete financial and environmental analyses, for example. These analyses often must be included in applications for USDA loans and grants.
Public bodies, non-profit organizations and federally-recognized tribes are eligible to apply for this funding. The maximum grant is $150,000. Interested applicants may find more information about this program on page 23525 of the May 23, 2017, Federal Register.
In Nevada, contact Cheryl Couch, Community Programs Director with USDA Rural Development, for more information at 775-887-1222, Ext. 113.
Community Facilities programs help under served rural communities develop essential community services, which in turn helps attract investments, create and retain jobs and businesses, and retain residents.
For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities-technical-assistance-and-training-grant
