U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for California Kim Dolbow today highlighted $150 million in grants available through the Community Facilities Program to help rural communities continue their recovery from the devastating effects of hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters.
“Wildfires may have devastated the landscape of California’s rural communities, but they didn’t break their spirit,” said Vann. “As impacted communities work on their long-term recovery efforts, USDA is here to help. These grant funds are a welcome addition to our suite of programs that can help rural California rebuild and thrive.”
The $150 million is included in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act that President Trump signed into law on June 6, 2019. The grants may be used for relief in areas affected by Hurricanes Michael and Florence; wildfires in 2018; and other natural disasters where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided a notice declaring a Major Disaster Declaration and assigned a FEMA disaster recovery (DR) number. View the list of designated communities as of Sept. 8, 2019. Please check the FEMA website for regular updates and names of additional communities that may be added.
Grant applications will be accepted at a local USDA Rural Development office on a continual basis until funds are exhausted. Grant assistance will be provided on a graduated scale; smaller communities with the lowest median household income are eligible for a higher proportion of grant funds. For application details and additional information, see page 47477 of the Sept. 10 Federal Register.
Eligible California counties for this supplemental grant funding include Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yolo. Additionally, Cahuilla Indian Reservation, La Jolla Indian Reservation and Soboba Indian Reservation are also eligible.
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in eligible rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ca and follow us on Twitter at @CaliforniaRD.