Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to improve rural transportation systems.
This funding is being made available through USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant program for intermediaries seeking to provide rural communities with training and technical assistance to improve transportation services and facilities.
National organizations focused on serving rural communities are eligible to apply. Applications will be scored reviewed and selected on a competitive basis.
Paper applications must be submitted to the organization’s nearest USDA office by June 25, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. local time. Electronic applications must be submitted to grants.gov by June 25, 2019, at midnight ET. Additional information is available on page 11487 of the March 27, 2019, Federal Register.
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:
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Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
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Developing the Rural Economy
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Harnessing Technological Innovation
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Supporting a Rural Workforce
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Improving Quality of Life
USDA also encourages applications that will support the Administration’s goal to combat substance use disorder, including opioid misuse, in high-risk rural communities by strengthening the capacity to address prevention, treatment and/or recovery.