Funding

Funding unknown for 2017. President Obama has challenged us all to help win the future by out-educating, out-innovating, and out-building our competitors in the 21st century. Know someone who is doing extraordinary things to make a difference in your community? Nominate them to be a Champion of Change. We’ll consider your nominations as we feature people who are bringing about change in their communities on the White House website to share their ideas on how to win the future.

Applications accepted continuously. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment.

Applications accepted year round. This program provides 1 percent low-interest loans to local intermediaries that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create jobs in rural communities.

Deadline Passed 2/24/2020. Deadline Unknown for 2021. The purpose of this program is to support research, education/teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in STEM. NIFA intends this program to address educational needs within broadly defined areas of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences. WAMS-funded projects improve the economic health and viability of rural communities by developing research and extension initiatives that focus on new and emerging employment opportunities in STEM occupations.

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: Feburary 25, 2022. The purpose of this program is to establish an Extension presence and support Extension outreach on Federally Recognized Indian Reservations and Tribal jurisdictions of Federally-Recognized Tribes. This program seeks to continue the Land Grants mission of inclusion - providing education and research-based knowledge to those who might not otherwise receive it. Learn more and apply here.

Deadline Passed as of 3/16/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related natural resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. Eligible program participants receive financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices, or activities like conservation planning, that address natural resource concerns on their land. Payments are made to participants after conservation practices and activities identified in an EQIP plan of operations are implemented. Contracts can last up to ten years in duration.

Deadline Passed as of 3/16/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers in order to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation or improved or created wildlife habitat. Eligible program participants receive financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices, or activities like conservation planning, that address natural resource concerns on their land. Payments are made to participants after conservation practices and activities identified in an EQIP plan of operations are implemented. Contracts can last up to ten years in duration.

Deadline Passed for 2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), AMS, requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) to competitively award grants to eligible applicants for projects that establish, expand, and promote direct producer-to-consumer marketing.

This program accepts applications on a continuous basis. 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. Construction, improvement and purchase of multi-family rental housing for low to moderate income families and individuals is the primary objective for this program. Funding may also be available for:

• Buying and improving land
• Providing necessary infrastructure
• For a complete list see Code of Federal Regulations, 7CFR Part 3565.205

Deadline Passed 7/30/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The purpose of the Targeted States program is to deliver crop insurance education and information to U.S. agricultural producers in States where there is traditionally, and continues to be a low level of Federal crop insurance participation and availability, and producers are underserved by the Federal crop insurance program. These states, defined as Targeted States for the purposes of this RFA, are Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Any cooperative agreements that may be funded will not exceed the maximum funding amount established for each of the Targeted States. Recipients must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project.

Deadline passed as of December 5, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown.

Applications accepted year round. Rural Housing site loans provide two types of loans to purchase and develop housing sites for low- and moderate-income families:

• Section 523 loans are used to acquire and develop sites only for housing to be constructed by the Self-Help method. Refer to RD Instruction 1944-I for more information about the Self-Help program
• Section 524 loans are made to acquire and develop sites for low- or moderate-income families, with no restriction as to the method of construction. Low-income is defined as between 50-80% of the area median income (AMI); the upper limit for moderate income is $5,500 above the low-income limit

Rolling deadline. This program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects.

The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP) encourages private landowners to voluntarily make their land available to the public for wildlife-dependent recreation. States and tribes approved for funding of this Farm Service Agency (FSA) program use the funds as incentives to encourage private landowners of farms, ranches, and forests to make that land available to the public for wildlife-dependent recreation. This may include hunting or fishing. The overall goal of VPA-HIP is to enhance wildlife habitat and management and to boost local economies through activities that attract wildlife enthusiasts.