CARSON CITY, Nev., Jan. 27, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh today announced that USDA is investing $8 million to build and improve critical community facilities in rural Nevada. This infrastructure funding will increase access to education, public safety, and community services while building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made investing in infrastructure improvements a top priority,” Bronaugh said. “These loans and grants will help rural communities invest in facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment. When we invest in essential services in rural America, we build opportunity and prosperity for the people who call rural communities home.”
Bronaugh highlighted 731 projects that USDA is making in five programs that will fund essential community services to help rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before. These programs include Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Technical Assistance Training Grants, Community Facilities Disaster Grants, and Economic Impact Initiative Grants. The projects will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment; build or improve hospitals and clinics and help fund other essential community facilities.
Projects in Nevada include:
- Lincoln County Fire District will use a $100,000 loan and $50,000 grant to replace two aged fire trucks with a newer vehicle. This new purchase will increase water capacity, reduce maintenance costs, and provide mutual aid to neighboring areas in Lincoln County.
- Elko Institute of Academic Achievement in Elko County will use a $8,100,000 loan to construct a charter school that will serve 396 students in the City of Elko and surrounding area. The new facility will allow the school to move out of leased warehouse space and will meet the school’s need for additional classrooms, a full-service kitchen, multi-purpose room, and more to support the learning environment.
- Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe will use a $24,000 grant to purchase a new vehicle for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Environment Protection Department’s mosquito abatement program. The department conducts monitoring, surveillance, and additional services for the reservation and colony areas, benefitting 1,700 residents.
- Elko Band Council of the Te-Maok Tribe of Western Shoshone will use a $19,510 grant to purchase a projector and screen to be used during community events. This purchase will increase accessibility for community participants. The funds will also assist in the replacement of two swamp coolers for the local health and wellness center. These projects will serve 797 residents.
- Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe will use a $41,250 grant to help purchase a new vehicle for the Tribal police department. This new vehicle will serve as the full-time vehicle for the Tribe’s school resource officer.
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 rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program.
Interested parties should contact the Nevada USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants (PDF, 669 KB) for a detailed overview of the application process.
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. If you’d like 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. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to 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.