Funding

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 1, 2023. The Forest Service is requesting proposals from eligible entities that are working to provide equitable access to trees and green spaces and the benefits they provide. The Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry Program is a technical, financial, and educational assistance program, delivering nature-based solutions to ensure a resilient and equitable tree canopy where more than 84 percent of Americans live.

Categories: IRA, community health, green space, urban landscape

Most recent deadline: December 16, 2024. The purpose of the Landscape Scale Restoration competitive grant program is to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority rural forest landscapes. This program supports high impact projects that lead to measurable outcomes on the landscape, leverage public and private resources, and further priorities identified in science-based restoration strategies. This funding opportunity is for Federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations/Villages, and Tribal organizations as defined in 25 USC 5304. For projects where the applicant is a nonprofit (not a Tribal organization), university, State agency, town, or county, view the funding opportunities for Northeast and Midwest, South, and West.

Categories: landscape scale restoration

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 13, 2022. The Forest Service is seeking to create a national innovative messaging for the Urban and Community Forestry Program that raises awareness of the critical and urgent need to plan, grow, and manage our urban forests to benefit all. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Urban forestry, community forestry, management, innovation

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 23, 2023. The Wood Innovations Grant Program, launched in 2015, stimulates, expands, and supports U.S. wood products markets and wood energy markets to support the long-term management of National Forest System and other forest lands. National focus areas include mass timber, renewable wood energy, and technological development that supports hazardous fuel reduction and sustainable forest management Read the funding announcement here.

Categories: wood energy, wood products, hazardous fuels reduction, forest health, forest management, economic health, environmental health

Deadline passed as of December 8, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is charged with implementing the Farm to School Program. In this funding cycle, USDA anticipates awarding approximately $6 million in grant funding to support efforts that improve access to local foods in schools. Beyond the $5 million in funding provided in the HHFKA, in fiscal year (FY) 2016 USDA anticipates the availability of an additional $1 million, subject to appropriation, in grant funding to support placement of volunteer service members (e.g. AmeriCorps, VISTA, local service corps programs, etc.) in schools throughout the country to build or maintain school gardens, incorporate nutrition education into the schools’ culture, and support school food service personnel in procuring or promoting local and regional products for the school meal program - See link for more.

Categories: Food, nutrition, Agriculture, Education, Schools, Development

The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program supports projects to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by providing incentives at the point of purchase. There are three categories of projects: (1) FINI Pilot Projects (awards not to exceed a total of $100,000 over one year); (2) Multi-year, community-based FINI Projects (awards not to exceed a total of $500,000 over no more than four years); and (3) Multi-year, FINI Large-Scale Projects (awards of $500,000 or more over no more than four years).

Categories: Food, nutrition

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.

Categories: agriculture, conservation planning, natural resources

Applications accepted year round. This program assists low-income communities with initial planning and development of applications for USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal direct loan/grant and loan guarantee programs. The area must also have a median household income below the poverty line or less than 80 percent of the statewide non-metropolitan median household income

Categories: water, waste disposal, planning, development, infrastructure, rural communities

The USDA Rural Business Cooperative-Service Agency is accepting applications for Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans to assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with evaluating energy efficiency and the potential to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations.

Categories: Renewable energy, Agriculture, small businesses

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.

Categories: Conservation, recreation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: March 31, 2022. This program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy-efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy-efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. Increasing energy efficiency and developing more renewable-energy systems is cost effective and reduces the consumption of fuels that generate greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Applications can be for grants of $20,000 or less or a loan/grant combination of $20,000 or less. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Rural, agriculture, energy, equipment, emissions

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.

Categories: natural resources, agriculture, water and air quality, conservation,

Applications accepted continuously. 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. Funds may be used to:Give technical and supervisory assistance to participating familiesHelp other organizations provide self-help technical and supervisory assistanceRecruit families, help them complete loan applications and carry out other related activities that enable them to participate

Categories: housing, rural areas, low-income communities, technical assistance

Deadline passed. Modt recent deadline: June 6, 2022. The Rural Cooperative Development Grant program helps improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping non-profit corporations or higher education institutions in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through cooperative development.

Categories: Rural Development, Economic development, Business Development, Community Development, management, infrastructure, local economy,

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 20, 2023. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the acceptance of applications for Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Broadband Technical Assistance provides competitive cooperative agreement funding to eligible entities to receive or deliver broadband technical assistance and training that promotes the expansion of broadband into rural areas. Examples of broadband technical assistance projects may include conducting feasibility studies, completing network designs, and developing broadband financial assistance applications.The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure;Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects; andReducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.In addition, the Agency encourages applicants to work with the Rural Partners Network. The Rural Partners Network is an all-of-government program that demonstrates to rural America that the federal government can work differently to serve their unique needs in a way this is community-centered and locally-driven. RPN is a recognition by the Biden Administration that it is time to do more for rural communities. Applicants to this funding opportunity are encouraged to include RPN Community Networks in their proposals by identifying Community Networks as collaborative partners or recipients of service.

Categories: rural, broadband, pollution, internet, technical assistance, training

Deadline Passed as of 11/30/2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Through EQIP, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to eligible individuals and entities to plan and install conservation practices that benefit soil, water, air, plants, and animals. EQIP addresses national resource concerns including improvement of water quality, water conservation , reducing greenhouse gasses, improving wildlife habitat, controlling invasive plant species, and on-farm energy conservation and efficiency.

Categories: conservation, agriculture, natural resources, water and air quality, greenhouse gases, wildlife habitat, invasive plant species, energy efficiency

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 3, 2023. This program assists in the development, construction, and retrofitting of new and emerging technologies for the development of Advanced Biofuels, Renewable Chemicals, and Biobased Product Manufacturing by providing loan guarantees for up to $250 million.

Categories: biofuels, renewable chemicals, biobased products, renewable energy, manufacturing, development

Deadline passed. The next application window expected to open early 2023. The Community Connect program serves rural communities where broadband service is least likely to be available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for citizens. The projects funded by these grants will help rural residents tap into the enormous potential of the Internet.

Categories: Development, Internet

Rolling Deadline. This program bolsters the availability of private credit by guaranteeing loans for rural businesses.

Categories: Rural areas, business development, credit, local economy

Grant deadline unknown for 2016. Communities are invited to apply for assistance from Local Foods, Local Places, a new program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) to help create more livable places by promoting local foods. Priorities given to communities within Appalachia and surrounding regions, see application for more details.

Categories: public health, Agriculture, food justice, sustainability, human health, disease, local, economy

Applications accepted year round. This program provides competitive financing for affordable multi-family rental housing for low-income, elderly, or disabled individuals and families in eligible rural areas. 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.

Categories: housing, rural communities, multi-family housing, improvement, development

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.

Categories: water, waste disposal, rural

The USDA Rural Business Cooperative-Service Agency is accepting applications for Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance grants to establish programs to assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with evaluating energy efficiency and the potential to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations.

Categories: Renewable energy, Agriculture, small businesses

Deadline: Year round with periodic ranking cycles announced. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) protects the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land by limiting nonagricultural uses which negatively affect agricultural uses and conservation values, protect grazing uses and related conservation values by restoring or conserving eligible grazing land, and protecting and restoring and enhancing wetlands on eligible land. ACEP has two components:Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements.Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses. 

Categories: IRA, farmland, conservation, wetlands

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.

Categories: Land Grant, education, outreach, research, Tribal youth development, economic and workforce development, food sovereignty, Native language and culture preservation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: July 19, 2023. The Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant (IAG) Program will provide up to $50 million to improve tribal nations’ food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by developing and expanding value-added infrastructure related to meat from indigenous animals like bison, reindeer or salmon. The program will fund projects that focus on expanding local capacity for the harvesting, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling or distribution of indigenous meats.

Categories: food sovereignty, capacity building, infrastructure

Application Deadline April 16, 2019. The purpose of the Crop Protection and Pest Management program is to address high priority issues related to pests and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. The CPPM program supports projects that will ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health. The CPPM program addresses IPM challenges for emerging issues and existing priority pest concerns that can be addressed more effectively with new and emerging technologies. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies needed to maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities.

Categories: pest, food security, human health, agriculture

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: 9/9/2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the availability of up to $17 million in funds in the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) to support projects in topic areas including, but not limited to: Develop, enhance, and exercise state and Tribal animal disease outbreak emergency response plans; Support livestock and poultry biosecurity; enhance animal disease traceability for a disease outbreak; Support outreach and education on animal disease prevention, preparedness, and response topics. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Agriculture, livestock disease preparedness, education

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 4, 2022. The USDA has extended the deadline for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program. This extension is eligible for expenses in 2020 and 2021. Organic farming may help farmers prepare for a changing climate, as organic practices can increase soil water-holding capacity, which can help crops grow in drought years. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Agriculture, organic, certification, education, pandemic

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.

Categories: Farmers Market, Local Foods, Sustainability, Bioregionalism, Sustainable Agriculture, Community Development.