USDA Grants Available to Help Repair Virginia Community Facilities Damaged by Severe Weather in 2022

RICHMOND, Va., July 20, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Virginia State Director Perry Hickman today announced the availability of grants to help repair essential community facilities damaged by presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022. 

“Community facilities are vital to quality of life in small towns across Virginia and must remain operational to deliver critical programs and services,” Hickman said. “The assistance I'm announcing today will help rural communities in 30 localities build back better by making rural infrastructure more resilient in the face of severe floods, winter storms, hurricanes and other risks.” 

USDA is making up to $50 million in grants available through the Community Facilities Disaster Repair Grants Program, which received supplemental disaster funding under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The facilities must be located in eligible rural areas in three territories and 33 states to include Virginia.

Grant applications for structures located in the following Virginia localities will be accepted on a continual basis until all funds are exhausted.

Funds may be used to:  

• Repair essential community facilities,
• Replace damaged equipment or vehicles,
• Purchase new equipment to undertake repairs.

Eligible entities include public bodies, federally recognized Indian Tribes and community-based nonprofits. These organizations may apply to receive up to 75 percent of total project costs to help repair community facilities that were damaged by natural disasters in 2022 with no minimum or maximum per project grant limits. 

Additional information is available on page 46732 of the July 20 Federal Register. Virginia partners interested in applying can contact Myron Wooden at myron.wooden@usda.gov or visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/va for more information. More disaster assistance resources for rural communities are available online at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.   

This funding opportunity is also authorized for 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, Washington and West Virginia.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 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. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page. 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.