U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today the availability of grants to help plan for the restoration of essential community facilities that were damaged by the severe weather in Oklahoma May 2 -8, 2022. The facilities must be located in eligible rural areas and presidentially declared disaster areas.
“The President is committed to deploy every resource we have available to help families and individuals rebuild their lives and their communities,” Corn said. “The assistance I'm announcing today will help rural communities across this state have the resources they need to repair essential community facilities that were damaged by natural disasters in 2022. Under the leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary Vilsack, USDA remains committed to helping America's rural communities rebuild by making vital rural infrastructure – including – more resilient in the face of increasingly severe floods, wildfires, tornadoes and other risks we continue to see in our State of Oklahoma.”
USDA is also making $2.5 million in grants available through the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training (CF TAT) Disaster Repair Grant Program, which provides technical assistance and training with respect to essential community facilities programs. Eligible applicants include public bodies, federally recognized Indian Tribes and nonprofits.
Funds may be used to:
- Assist communities in identifying and planning for community facility needs,
- Identify resources to finance community facility needs,
- Prepare reports, surveys and applications.
The communities must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas in Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington or West Virginia.
Applications for Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Disaster Repair Grants will be accepted until November 29, 2023. The maximum award amount is $50,000 for Ultimate Recipients and $250,000 for Technical Assistance Providers.
For more information, contact pamela.bensley@usda.gov or call 405-742-1070.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans 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, tribal and high-poverty areas. To learn more, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/ok.