Rural Business Development Grants – Regular Program and Tribal Set-Aside Applications
– Application Deadline: March 29
This program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas which will employ 50 or fewer new employees and has less than $1 million in gross revenue. Programmatic activities are separated into enterprise or opportunity type grant activities. Reconnect Application webinar will be March 21. Preregister with this link.
Community Connect Grant Program
– Application Deadline: April 15, 2019
The Community Connect Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide service at or above the Broadband Grant Speed to all premises in rural, economically-challenged communities where broadband service does not exist.
All applicants should carefully review and prepare their applications according to instructions in the FY 2019 Community Connect Grant Program Application Guide (Application Guide) and program resources. This Application Guide can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-connect-grants . Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s own risk.
The Agency encourages applications that will help improve life in rural America. See information on the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity . Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation. Key strategies include:
- Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
- Developing the Rural Economy
- Harnessing Technological Innovation
- Supporting a Rural Workforce
- Improving Quality of Life
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants-Opioid
– Application Deadline: April 15, 2019
Authorized by 7 U.S.C. §950aaa, the DLT Program provides financial assistance to enable and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas. DLT grant funds support the use of telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. These grants are intended to increase rural access to education, training, and health care resources that are otherwise unavailable or limited in scope.
Applications submitted under this announcement should address how they will strengthen local capacity to address one or more of the following focus areas:
- Prevention—for example, educating community members and care providers or implementing harm reduction strategies to reduce the number of fatal opioid-related overdoses and the occurrence of opioid use disorder among new and at-risk users.
- Treatment—for example, implementing or expanding access to evidence-based practices for opioid use disorder treatment, such as medication-assisted treatment.
- Recovery—for example, expanding peer recovery and treatment options that help people with opioid use disorder start recovery and avoid relapse.
The regulation for the DLT Program can be found at 7 CFR part 1734. All applicants should carefully review and prepare their applications according to instructions in the Application Guide and program resources. The Application Guide can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/distance-learning-telemedic... . Be sure to use the Application Guide that has "Opioid" in the title. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s own risk.
Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program
– 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.
Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grant Program
– Application Deadline: April 16, 2019
The Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program seeks to: (a) promote and strengthen secondary education and two-year postsecondary education in the food, agriculture, natural resources and human (FANH) sciences in order to help ensure the existence of a workforce in the United States that's qualified to serve the FANH sciences system; and (b) promote complementary and synergistic linkages among secondary, two-year postsecondary, and higher education programs in the FANH sciences in order to advance excellence in education and encourage more young Americans to pursue and complete a baccalaureate or higher degree in the FANH sciences.
Children, Youth and Families at Risk Sustainable Communities Projects
– Application Deadline: April 22, 2019
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA announces the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) funding program to improve the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families supported by the Cooperative Extension System. The CYFAR program mission is to marshal resources of the Land-Grant and Cooperative Extension Systems to develop and deliver educational programs that equip limited resource families and youth who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, contributing lives.
Food Distribution Program Nutrition Education (FDPNE)
- Application Deadline: April 30, 2019
Since 2008, FNS awards funding for nutrition education projects through Food Distribution Program Nutrition Education (FDPNE) grants each fiscal year. Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and State agencies (SAs) that are current FDPIR allowance holders (have a direct agreement with FNS to administer FDPIR) are eligible to apply for funds to conduct projects that provide nutrition information and services to FDPIR participants. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 SNAP Education Plan Guidance is the basis for FDPNE nutrition, gardening, and physical activities. FNS selects components of this guidance for development of FDPNE project requirements.
The FY 2019 SNAP Education Plan Guidance may be reviewed at: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/national-snap-ed/snap-ed-plan-guidance-an...
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were published in January 2016. FNS selects components of the guidelines for development of FDPNE project goals. Visit http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/ to review the current recommendations.
Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative
– Application Deadline: May 2, 2019
The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. The OREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information. Projects should plan to deliver applied production information to producers. Fieldwork must be done on certified organic land or on land in transition to organic certification, as appropriate to project goals and objectives. Refer to the USDA National Organic Program
for organic production standards.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-...
Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program (ANNH)
- Application Deadline: May 6, 2019
The purpose of this program is to promote and strengthen the ability of Alaska Native-Serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs. NIFA intends this program to address educational needs, as determined by each institution, within a broadly defined arena of food and agricultural sciences-related disciplines. Priority will be given to those projects that enhance educational equity for underrepresented students; strengthen institutional educational capacities; prepare students for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States; and maximize the development and use of resources to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.
Acer Access and Development Program
– Application Deadline: May 10, 2019
Acer program supports the efforts of states, tribal governments and research institutions to promote the domestic maple syrup industry. The program also supports improving consumer knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the maple syrup industry and its products through Market Development and Promotion projects. It also supports Producer and Landowner Education projects that focus on improving producer knowledge, awareness, and understanding of research, educational resources, or natural resource sustainability practices affecting the maple syrup industry and its products.
USDA Food For Progress Program
– Application Deadline May 15, 2019
The Food for Progress program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies that are committed to introducing or expanding free enterprise in their agricultural economies. Donated U.S. commodities are typically 'monetized' (sold on the local market in the beneficiary country) and the proceeds are used to fund agricultural development activities. Go to related documents to find the full announcement, details on how to apply, and other important information.
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants
– Application Deadline: May 15, 2019
Authorized by 7 U.S.C. §950aaa, the DLT Program provides financial assistance to enable and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas. DLT grant funds support the use of telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. These grants are intended to increase rural access to education, training, and health care resources that are otherwise unavailable or limited in scope.
The Agency encourages applications that will help improve life in rural America. See information on the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity . Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation. Key strategies include:
- Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
- Developing the Rural Economy
- Harnessing Technological Innovation
- Supporting a Rural Workforce
- Improving Quality of Life
Rural Broadband ReConnect Program
– Application Deadline: Varies
The Rural Broadband ReConnect Program furnishes loans and grants to finance the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. To be eligible for a 100% loan or 50% loan / 50% grant, the proposed funded service area in an application must be in a rural area where 90% of the households do not have sufficient broadband access. To be eligible for a 100% grant, the proposed funded service area in an application must be in a rural area where 100% of the households do not have sufficient broadband access. Sufficient broadband access is defined as 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. No matter which funding type the applicant requests, the proposed network must be capable of providing service to every premise in the proposed funded service area at a speed of at minimum, 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream.
- Loan only applications due July 12
- Loan / grant combo applications due June 21
- Grant only applications due May 31