Economic Impact Initiative Grants

U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

USDA Rural Development State Offices

800.670.6553

Economic Impact Initiative Grants provide funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities that have extreme unemployment and severe economic depression.

An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Healthcare: hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities
• Public Facilities: city/town/village halls, courthouses, airport hangers, street improvements
• Community Support Services: child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds, transitional housing
• Public Safety: fire halls, police stations, prisons, jails, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles and equipment
• Educational: museums, libraries, private schools
• Utility: telemedicine, distance learning
• Local Food Systems: community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs, greenhouses, kitchen appliances

Public bodies, federally recognized tribes, and nonprofit organizations in eligible rural areas may apply.

Eligible rural areas must meet specific criteria:

• Cities, villages, townships, and federally-recognized tribal lands with no more than 20,000 residents
• Unemployment rate for the service area is greater than 19.5%
• Median household income of the service area is below 90% of the state non-metropolitan median household income

Nationwide

Up to 75% of eligible project costs.

Grant assistance is based on a graduated scale determined by population, median household income, total project costs, and financial need

While the website says that the program is closed, applications are accepted by state offices for qualified projects year-round.

Begin the application process by contacting the appropriate USDA Rural Development state office to discuss the project.

The state office will discuss funding options and refer eligible applicants to:

• Apply directly through USDA for grant and/or loan funds through the program that fits bets with the project
• Contact an organization that has been awarded funding from USDA for the purpose of re-lending to community facilities projects
• Contact approved banks and lenders to apply through a similar, but separate separate program, the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program

Aging and aging-related services · Capital funding · Child care · Community and economic development · Emergency medical services · Food security and nutrition · Healthcare facilities · Housing and homelessness · Human services · Infrastructure · Oral health · Schools · Telehealth