BANGOR, Maine, June 4, 2024 –U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson has announced that the Department is seeking applications to help rural communities expand their capacity to access financial resources to help build or upgrade essential community facilities. The grants will assist nonprofits, federally recognized Tribes, and a variety of non-federal government institutions to provide hands-on support or training to rural communities to build or improve community facilities.
The funding is being made available under the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (CF TAT). The purpose of the CF TAT initiative is to increase access to USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program which provides grants of up to $50K. Recent Community Facilities grant recipients in Maine include the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the Calais Community Hospital, and the Eastport Library Association. CF TAT recipients will help more small-town entities like these secure grant funding.
“USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program is a vital resource for rural Maine towns,” said Director Hampson. “Rural Development offers flexible grants and loans that can make all the difference in helping project dreams become reality. However, we know that navigating the process can be challenging, especially for our most rural and vulnerable communities. That is why we are looking for entities that can help, and we offer CF TAT grants to help make that work possible. If your organization partners with other federal, state, local, private, or nonprofit entities to offer related technical assistance, we encourage you to apply. The Biden-Harris Administration committed to reducing the barriers to success, and this program is one of the ways we are making good on that promise.”
USDA is particularly interested in applications that will advance Biden-Harris Administration priorities to:
- Help rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and improved infrastructure;
- Reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities; and
- Ensure all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development (RD) programs and benefits from RD-funded projects.
Grants will be awarded through a competitive process, with $540K available nationally. The maximum grant is $150K. Matching funds are not required, but preference is given to applications with cash matching funds. For additional information, see page 47510 of the June 3, 2024, Federal Register.
Electronic applications will be accepted via Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on July 3, 2024. Paper submissions will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. local time on July 8, 2024. There will be a webinar offered later in June. Contact Bob Nadeau Community Programs Director (robert.nadeau@usda.gov or 207-990-9121) with questions.
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