Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants

What does this program do?

This program helps eligible communities prepare for, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water for households and businesses.

Who may apply?

• Most State and local governmental entities
• Nonprofit organizations

Federally recognized Tribes i

What kind of event can qualify as an emergency?

• Drought or flood
• Earthquake
• Tornado or hurricane
• Disease outbreak
• Chemical spill, leak or seepage
• Other disasters

NOTE: A federal disaster declaration is not required

What is an eligible Area?

Areas that may be served include:

• Rural areas and towns with 10,000 or fewer people--checkeligible addresses
• Tribal Lands in rural areas i
• Colonias i

The area to be served must also have a median household income less-than the state's median household income for non-metropolitan areas--contact your local RD office for details.

How may the funds be used?

• Water transmission line grants up to $150,000 are for construction of waterline extensions, repairs to breaks or leaks in existing water distribution lines, and related maintenance necessary to replenish water supply
• Water Source grants up to $500,000 are for construction of a new water source, intake and/or treatment facility

Are matching funds required?

• Partnerships with other federal, state, local, private and non-profit entities are encouraged

How do we get started?

• Applications for this program are accepted through your local RD office year round
• Program Resources are available online (forms, guidance, certifications etc.)

Who can answer questions?

• Contact your local RD office
• Participating non-profit associations also offer assistance and training

What regulations govern this program?

• Code of Federal Regulation, 7 CFR 1778
• This program is authorized by Section 306A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT)

Why does USDA Rural Development do this?

This program helps prevent damage or restore access to clean, reliable drinking water for households and businesses in eligible rural areas and towns following natural disasters. Good practices can save tax dollars, improve the natural environment and may be necessary for manufacturers and other types of businesses to locate or expand operations.

NOTE: Program details may change over time. Before you begin an application, please confirm you have the most current information by contacting your local representative or consult the Program Instructions listed in the section above titled "What Governs this Program?"

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Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees

Announcement: The Rural Utilities Service is pleased to announce that we have expanded our online mapping tool to now accept existing service area maps funded by our Telecom Infrastructure and Broadband Loan Programs. We sent out a letter (PDF) on April 20, 2016, informing all of our existing borrowers who are eligible to participate in this new effort.  You may access our Broadband Mapping Tool in order to complete this task.

To apply for Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees funding, visit RD Apply, our newly developed, online application system. Additional information to assist applicants with their online applications can be found under the Forms & Resources tab.

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Farm Bill Broadband Loans & Loan Guarantees

Announcement : The Rural Utilities Service is pleased to announce that we have expanded our online mapping tool to now accept existing service area maps funded by our Telecom Infrastructure and Broadband Loan Programs. We sent out a letter (PDF) on April 20, 2016, informing all of our existing borrowers who are eligible to participate in this new effort.  You may access our Broadband Mapping Tool  in order to complete this task.

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Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants

Program Status : FY2016 Application window closed  
Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA)  [PDF]

The USDA Telecommunications Program hosted webinars focused on the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program FY 2016.Recorded presentation slides on the DLT program webinar are available under Forms and Resources Tab.

What does this program do?
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. For example, this program can

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Community Connect Grants

Program Status: OPEN
Application Deadline:  Paper:  June 17, 2016 | Electronic:  June 17, 2016

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) (PDF)

What does this program do?
This program helps fund broadband deployment into rural communities where it is not yet economically viable for private sector providers to deliver service. For more information on other programs administered by RUS Telecommunications please visit :http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/telecom-programs

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State Bulk Fuel Revolving Loan Fund

What does this program do?
This program helps State governments establish and support revolving loan funds to provide a more cost-effective means of purchasing fuel for remote communities that are not served by surface transportation (highways, transit systems, railways, and waterways) year round.

Who may apply?

• State governments

What is an eligible area?

• The law requires the consideration of several factors to determine whether an area qualifies as rural for the purposes of this program
• Call (202) 720-9545 to determine whether your proposed service area qualifies as rural for the purposes of this program

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Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee Program

What does this program do?

The electric program makes insured loans and loan guarantees to nonprofit and cooperative associations, public bodies, and other utilities. Insured loans primarily finance the construction of electric distribution facilities in rural areas. The guaranteed loan program has been expanded and is now available to finance generation, transmission, and distribution facilities. The loans and loan guarantees 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-

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Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants

Program Status: Open

What does this program do? 
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Who may apply for this program?
To qualify, you must:

• Be the homeowner and occupy the house
• Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere
• Have a family income below 50 percent of the area median income 
• For grants, be age 62 or older and not be able to repay a repair loan

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Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program

Program Status: Open

What does this program do? 
This program assists approved lenders in providing low- and moderate-income households the opportunity to own adequate, modest, decent, safe and sanitary dwellings as their primary residence in eligible rural areas. Eligible applicants may build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate a dwelling in an eligible rural area. The program provides a 90% loan note guarantee to approved lenders in order to reduce the risk of extending 100% loans to eligible rural homebuyers.

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Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans

Program Status: Open

What does this program do? 
Also known as the Section 502 Direct Loan Program, this program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability. Payment assistance is a type of subsidy that reduces the mortgage payment for a short time. The amount of assistance is determined by the adjusted family income.

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Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants

What does this program do?
Provides grants to qualified organizations to help them carry out local self-help housing construction projects. Grant recipients supervise groups of very-low- and low-income individuals and families as they construct their own homes in rural areas. The group members provide most of the construction labor on each other’s homes, with technical assistance from the organization overseeing the project.

Who may apply for this program?
Eligible applicants include:

• Government non-profit organizations
• Federally-recognized Tribes
• Private non-profit organizations

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Multi-Family Housing Rental Assistance

What does this program do?
This program provides payments to owners of USDA-financed Rural Rental Housing or Farm Labor Housing projects on behalf of low-income tenants unable to pay their full rent.

Who may apply for this program?

• Project owners as part of their Rural Rental Housing or Farm Labor Housing new construction financing applications
• Projects must be established on a nonprofit or limited profit basis

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Multi-Family Housing Loan Guarantees

Program Status: OPEN
Application Deadline: 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, December 31, 2017
Notice of Funding Availability (pdf) | Posted: March 14, 2016

What does this program do?
The program works with qualified private-sector lenders to provide financing to qualified borrowers to increase the supply of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in eligible rural areas and towns.

Who may apply for this program?
Private lenders may apply for a loan guarantee on loans made to an eligible borrower who is unable to obtain commercial credit on reasonable terms without the guarantee.

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Multi-Family Housing Direct Loans

What does this program do?
This program provides competitive financing for affordable multi-family rental housing for low-income, elderly, or disabled individuals and families in eligible rural areas.

Who may apply for this program?
This program assists qualified applicants that cannot obtain commercial credit on terms that will allow them to charge rents that are affordable to low-income tenants. Qualified applicants include:

• Individuals, trusts, associations, partnerships, limited partnerships, nonprofit organizations, for-profit corporations and consumer cooperatives.
• Most state and local governmental entities.
• Federally-recognized Tribes

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Housing Preservation Grants

Program Status:  CLOSED
Application Deadline: March 15, 2016
Notice of Solicitation of Application (pdf)

FY 2016 HPG NOSA Deadline Extension:  March 15, 2016

What does this program do?
It provides grants to sponsoring organizations for the repair or rehabilitation of housing occupied by low and very low income (1)people.

Who may apply for this program?

• Most State and local governmental entities
• Nonprofit organizations
• Federally Recognized Tribes 
• Individual homeowners are not eligible

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Housing Preservation & Revitalization Demonstration Loans & Grants

Program Status: Closed 
Application Deadline: Closed: December 31, 2015.
Notice of Solicitation of Applications | (MPR NOSA) | Closed: December 31, 2015

MPR NOSA Corrections: Closed: December 31, 2015

MPR NOSA Responses

What does this program do?
It restructures loans for existing Rural Rental Housing and Off-Farm Labor Housing projects to help improve and preserve the availability of safe affordable rental housing for low income residents.

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Farm Labor Housing Direct Loans & Grants

Program Status: CLOSED
Application Deadline:  April 12, 2016
Notice of Solicitation of Application (pdf)

What does this program do?
It provides affordable financing to develop housing for year-round and migrant or seasonal domestic farm laborers. (1)

Who may apply for this program?
This program assists qualified applicants that cannot obtain commercial credit on terms that will allow them to charge rents that are affordable to low-income tenants. Borrowers must have sufficient qualifications and experience to develop and operate the project. Qualified applicants include:

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Tribal College Initiative Grants

What does this program do?
This program provides funding to 1994 Land Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) to make capital improvements to their educational facilities and to purchase equipment.

Who may apply for this program?
Tribal Colleges as listed in Section 7402 of the Agricultural Act of 2014.

How may funds be used?
Funds can be used by Tribal Colleges for infrastructure improvements, to purchase equipment and to develop essential community facilities.

Eligible community facilities projects include:

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Rural Community Development Initiative Grants

Application Deadline: 4:00 pm Local Time - August 13, 2015
Notice of Solicitation of Application (pdf) | Posted: May 15, 2015

What does this program do?
This program provides funding to help non-profit housing and community development organizations support housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas.

Annoucement of recent RCDI Grant Awards and the list of recipients.

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Economic Impact Initiative Grants

What does this program do?
This program provides funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression.

An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

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