FUNDING
Strategic Economic and Community Development
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is excited to share a new Rural Development funding opportunity authorized by Section 6025 of the 2014 Farm Bill. This new authority entitled Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) prioritizes projects that support the implementation of multi-jurisdictional plans under the Community Facilities Program, Water and Waste Disposal Program, Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program, and Rural Business Development Grant Program. Under this provision, up to 10 percent of each programs annual appropriations can be set aside and made available to eligible SECD applicants—in FY 2016, SECD has set aside over $300 million. Many communities already working together to develop multi-jurisdictional plans with the help of strategic partners including non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, university extensions, regional authorities, coalitions of counties/towns and federal special initiative coalitions such as: Stronger Economies Together, Promise Zones, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnerships, Sustainable Communities, and Local Food, Local Places. The goal of SECD is to promote collaboration in rural communities and across Rural Development agencies and programs. Communities are incentivized to align resources, develop long-term community and economic growth strategies and engage federal, state and local partners. By promoting this regional focus USDA resources can be more effectively utilized and have a larger impact on rural capacity building and wealth creation.
EDA to Open $15M Regional Innovation Competition in April
On April 25, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will begin accepting applications for the 2016 round of the Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program. A total of $15 million in federal funding will be available through the program’s i6 Challenge and Seed Fund Support Grant competition. EDA will hold a series of webinars next week leading up to the release of the Federal Funding Opportunity on April 25, 2016. Webinar times are available on EDA’s RIS page. SSTI will host a post-launch webinar with EDA on May 5, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. EDT. Register today…
DOE Announces Over $100M Available to Improve Clean Energy Manufacturing
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) released a notice of intent to establish a $70 million Modular Chemical Process Intensification Institute for Clean Energy Manufacturing – the fourth National Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the Department of Energy. EERE also announced the availability of approximately $35 million in funding to institutions of higher education to assist small- and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers increase energy efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness as well as help address the shortage of engineering professionals with applied energy-related skills. Read more...
Chef Ann Foundation Accepting Applications for School Fresh Produce Program
POSTED: April 18, 2016
DEADLINE: Rolling
Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to schools for programs designed to expand students' palates and encourage increased consumption of and exposure to fresh produce....
Applications are Due 4/29 for The New Rural: Innovations in Rural Health Award
There is still time to apply for this year’s The New Rural: Innovations in Rural Health Award. The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust is accepting applications for the national competition through April 29th. The application process is short and simple.These don't have to be finalized projects - we encourage submissions from around the country that highlight new ideas and emerging innovations. Individuals, for-profits, nonprofits and government agencies are welcome to apply. Finalists will receive a $7,500 award and one innovative and inspiring idea will win the New Rural Award and a total of $25,000. All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 29, 2016.
WEDFA, DoC Offer Renewable Energy Manufacturing Program
The REMP consists of two main elements: WEDFA Bonds and an interest cost subsidy on those bonds from the Dept. of Commerce. To qualify, a project should be a manufacturing and energy production support facility.
USDA Seeks Applications for Nearly $12 Million in Broadband Grants for Rural Communities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is soliciting applications for grants to establish broadband in unserved rural communities through its Community Connect program. Community Connect is administered by USDA's Rural Utilities Service and helps to fund broadband deployment into rural communities where it is not economically viable for private sector providers to provide service. USDA plans to award up to $11.7 million in grants through the Community Connect grant program. The grants fund broadband infrastructure to help foster economic growth by delivering connectivity to the global marketplace. The grants also fund broadband for community centers and public institutions.
USDA Seeks Applications to Fund Rural Broadband
USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Administrator Brandon McBride today announced that the Department is accepting applications for loans to bring broadband to underserved rural areas. The funding is from the Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program. The minimum loan amount is $100,000. The maximum is $10 million. The deadline to apply is July 7, 2016. For additional information, see Page 20614 of the April 8 Federal Register. In addition to the availability of funding, McBride also announced that USDA is implementing several improvements to the Broadband program. One of these improvements is faster Internet speeds. Loan applicants must design broadband systems with speeds of 10 megabits downstream and 1 megabit upstream. For additional details, see Page 45397 of the July 30, 2015 Federal Register.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | FY 2016 Community Development Block Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages Program
The purpose of the ICDBG program is the development of viable Indian and Alaska Native communities, including the creation of decent housing, suitable living environments, and economic opportunities primarily for persons with low- and moderate- incomes. HUD is making available approximately $56,000,000 through this NOFA for Community Development Block Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. HUD encourages activities in communities with Preferred Sustainability Status (PSS) and/or Promise Zones (PZ). HUD will award two (2) points for qualified activities within a designated zone or area and supporting either or both initiative(s). In no case will HUD award more than two bonus points for these activities. Read the NOFA.
Application Deadline: June 14, 2016 | More information is available on the HUD website.
FY 2016 Jobs Plus Initiative Grant Program
The purpose of the Jobs Plus program is to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches that increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement, technology skills, and financial literacy for residents of public housing. The place-based Jobs Plus program addresses poverty among public housing residents by incentivizing and enabling employment through earned income disregards for working families and a set of services designed to support work including employer linkages, job placement and counseling, educational advancement, and financial counseling. Ideally, these incentives will saturate the target developments, building a culture of work and making working families the norm. HUD is making available approximately $15,000,000 through this NOFA for Jobs Plus Initiative. HUD encourages activities in communities with Preferred Sustainability Status (PSS) and/or Promise Zones (PZ). HUD will award two (2) points for qualified activities within a designated zone or area and supporting either or both initiative(s). In no case will HUD award more than two bonus points for these activities. Please refer to pages 28-29 of the application for more information. Read the NOFA.
Application Deadline: June 13, 2016.
Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma Program
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2016 Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma. The purpose of this program is to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through implementation of evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. The goal of the ReCAST Program is for local community entities to work together in ways that lead to improved behavioral health, empowered community residents, and reductions in trauma and sustained community change. The ReCAST Program closely aligns with SAMHSA’s Recovery Support and Trauma and Justice Strategic Initiatives. More information on these Initiatives is available on the SAMHSA website.
Application Deadline: June 7, 2016 | Application materials are available on the SAMHSA website.
Value Added Producer Grant Program
USDA is soliciting applications to make up to $44 million available to farmers, ranchers and businesses to develop new bio-based products and expand markets through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program. Value-Added Producer Grants may be used to develop new products and create additional uses for existing ones. Priority for these grants is given to veterans, members of socially disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers, and operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches. Additional priority is given to applicants who seek funding for projects that will create or increase marketing opportunities for these types of operators. More information on how to apply is on page 20607 of the April 8 Federal Register. The deadline to submit paper applications is July 1, 2016. Electronic applications submitted through grants.gov are due June 24, 2016. Additional information and assistance is available through the USDA Rural Development Office serving your county.
JPMC to Invest $125M in Neighborhood Economic Revitalization
Last week, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPMC) announced the launch of PRO Neighborhoods, a $125 million, five-year initiative to promote economic opportunity in disadvantaged neighborhoods around the country. PRO Neighborhoods will invest in local collaborative partnerships and financial solutions, focusing on community lending, housing capital and high-quality data. Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) partnerships and collaborative efforts to provide capital to small businesses in distressed neighborhoods may be eligible for support. Learn more…
Community Development Challenges
This program allows applicants to use data and other evidence to define the local problem and encourages creative and entrepreneurial partnerships and solutions in response. At least 51 percent of the funding must be used to leverage another capital source, including, but not limited to, public funding, balance sheet capital dedicated to the grant activities, private debt or other philanthropic investment. Read the Request for Proposals.
Deadline: Proposals are due by May 16, 2016 at midnight PT.Pragmatic Clinical Studies to Evaluate Patient-Centered Outcomes
Funding for research that compares two or more alternatives for addressing prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or management of a disease or symptom; improving healthcare system-level approaches to managing care; or eliminating health or healthcare disparities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): May 4, 2016
Application Deadline: Aug 8, 2016
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute National Native American Youth Initiative (NNAYI)
Offers a summer program designed to prepare American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) high school students to pursue a career in the health professions and/or biomedical research.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: May 13, 2016
Sponsor: Association of American Indian Physicians Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
Funding for eligible applicants to plan, implement or expand a justice and mental health collaboration program in order to demonstrate a collaborative project between criminal justice and mental health partners.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: May 17, 2016
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Justice Healthcare Connect Fund
Provides funding to healthcare providers for telecommunications and Internet access services, as well as network equipment, at a flat discounted rate of 65 percent. Participants can apply as a member of the consortium or a stand-alone entity.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jun 1, 2016
Sponsor: Universal Service Administrative Company National Health Service Corps Recruitment and Retention Assistance Site Application
Provides recruitment and retention assistance to healthcare facilities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jun 7, 2016
Sponsor: National Health Service Corps Tribal Management Grant (TMG) Program
Grants to assist federally-recognized tribes and tribal organizations in assuming all or part of existing Indian Health Service programs, services, functions, and activities. Funding for tribal needs assessments, planning, evaluation, and health infrastructure development.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jun 8, 2016
Sponsor: Indian Health Service Oral Health 2020 Initiative
Awards funding to organizations to create networks, establish partnerships, and analyze policy with the goal of eliminating oral disease in children and increasing oral health across the lifespan.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: DentaQuest Foundation
Play Everywhere Challenge
Opening on May 3, 2016, the Play Everywhere Challenge is a national competition that will award $1 million in prizes for the best replicable, scalable innovations in city redevelopment and design that help make play easy, available and fun for kids and families. The Challenge, developed in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts, will reward applicants who provide community-driven solutions that integrate play into everyday life and unexpected places— sidewalks, vacant lots, bus stops, open streets, and beyond.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Wetland Program Development Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for projects under Wetland Program Development Grants Funding Opportunity Number EPA-REG04-16-02. The closing date for receipt of proposals is April 29, 2016, at 11:59 P.M. EDT. To View the RFP please visit www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=282225
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants Program
HUD is soliciting applications for the FY2016 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants program. The maximum grant award is $30 million. HUD encourages activities in communities with Preferred Sustainability Status (PSS) and/or Promise Zones (PZ). HUD will award two (2) points for qualified activities within a designated zone or area and supporting either or both initiative(s). In no case will HUD award more than two bonus points for these activities.
The Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants support the implementation of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that are expected to achieve the following three core goals:
- Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood;
- People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth with services and supports delivered directly to youth and their families; and
- Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families choices about their community.
Deadline: Applications are due on June 28, 2016.
Local Food Promotion Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) to competitively award grants to eligible applicants to plan or implement projects that assist in the development, improvement, and/or expansion of intermediary local and regional food business supply chain activities (e.g. activities that do not involve direct producer‐to‐consumer sales). Approximately $13 million is available to fund applications under this solicitation. LFPP planning grant award levels range from $25,000 to $100,000. LFPP implementation grant award levels range from $100,000 to $500,000. An applicant is limited to one LFPP award in a funding year. Priority consideration will be given to projects that benefit communities located in areas of concentrated poverty with limited access to supermarkets, and projects that involve Promise Zone Lead Applicant Organizations. LFPP will award at least 10 percent of its total funding to these projects. LFPP does not require that submitted projects be implemented in designated priority areas or involve Promise Zone partnerships. All applications, whether requesting consideration under the priority areas or not, will be given equal consideration in the evaluation process. Promise Zone projects will be evaluated equally during the peer review process as well, but will receive five priority points added to the final score provided by reviewers.
Deadline: Applications are due on May 12, 2016.
Farmers Market Promotion Program
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. Approximately $13 million is available to fund applications under this solicitation. The minimum FY 2016 FMPP award per grant is $50,000 and the maximum is $500,000. An applicant is limited to one FMPP award in a funding year. FMPP funding will be available for use beginning September 30, 2016. Matching funds are not required. Priority consideration will be given to projects that benefit communities located in areas of concentrated poverty with limited access to supermarkets, and projects that involve Promise Zone Lead Applicant Organizations. FMPP will award at least 10 percent of its total funding to these projects.
Deadline: Applications are due on May 12, 2016.
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program | FY 2016 Competitive Grant Announcement
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for the FY16 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Implementation Grants and Planning/Implementation Grants.In neighborhoods across the country, BCJI projects work to reduce crime and improve community safety as part of a comprehensive strategy to advance neighborhood revitalization goals. Through a broad cross-sector partnership team, including residents, BCJI sites target neighborhoods with hot spots of violent and serious crime and employ data-driven, cross-sector strategies to reduce crime and violence.
Deadline: Applications are due on May 12, 2016.
Corporation for National and Community Service | FY 2016 Social Innovation Fund Classic Cooperative Agreements
CNCS is soliciting applications for the FY 2016 Social Innovation Fund grant program. The Social Innovation Fund (SIF), combines public and private resources to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO APPLY DEADLINE: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Notice of Intent to by April 15, 2016 via the online form.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications are due May 10, 2016.
More information is available on the CNCS website.
Corporation for National and Community Service| AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Grants FY 2016
CNCS is soliciting application for the FY 2016 American Indian Tribes Grants competition.
CNCS seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in:
- Disaster Services – improving community resiliency through disaster preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation
- Economic Opportunity – increasing economic opportunities for communities, specifically opportunity youth (see Glossary), both as the population served and as AmeriCorps members
- Education – improving student academic performance, including subject matter related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics (STEM), and/or serving students who attend Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools.
- Healthy Futures – positively impacting behavioral health outcomes and/or increasing the capacity of tribal communities to offer behavioral health prevention and support services
- Veterans and Military Families – positively impacting the quality of life of veterans and improving military family strength
CNCS strongly encourages applicants to submit a Notification of Intent to Apply by Wednesday, April 20, 2016 via online form.
Deadline: Applications are due on May 4, 2016
Read the 2016 AmeriCorps Indian Tribes NOFA.
