Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley has announced that USDA is seeking applications for grants to make housing repairs for low- and very-low-income rural residents. The grants are being provided through USDA’s Housing Preservation Grant program. The award ceiling is $50,000. Grant information available at www.grants.gov .
Eligible applicants include town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations. USDA does not provide funding directly to homeowners under this program. For additional eligibility information, see page 24076 of the May 24, 2019, Federal Register.
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. local time on July 8, 2019, at the Rural Development state office where the project will be located. In Nevada contact Kara Blake at (702) 407-1400 Ext. 6000.
USDA encourages applications that will support recommendations made in the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB) to help improve life in rural America.
Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation.
Key strategies include:
• Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
• Developing the Rural Economy
• Harnessing Technological Innovation
• Supporting a Rural Workforce
• Improving Quality of Life
To leverage investments in rural property, USDA Rural Development also encourages projects located in rural Opportunity Zones where projects should provide measurable results in helping communities build robust and sustainable economies. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. With a portfolio of $225 billion, this agency's assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; homeownership; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/nv.