Calendar Year 2022 Disaster Circuit Rider Technical Assistance Grants Program

What does this program do?

The Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Disaster Circuit Rider Technical Assistance (CRTA) Grants Program provides grant funds to qualified organizations for providing on-site technical assistance on a national basis to help eligible communities mitigate damage caused by CY 2022 Presidentially declared disasters. Funds can be used to identify and evaluate solutions to impacted water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste challenges, help communities develop and prepare applications for related loans and grants, deliver training and other resources to operators, managers, and other system personnel, and pay certain expenses associated with the provision of such services. In accordance with the industry standards, the term “water” is inclusive of all water resource infrastructure, such as drinking water, wastewater, storm drainage, and solid waste facilities.

Who may apply for this program?

• Public bodies
• Organizations operated on a not-for profit basis
• Federally recognized tribes

All applicants must:

• Be legally established prior to submitting the application and be located within a state as defined in 7 CFR §1775.2, and
• Possess and document legal authority to receive and administer a federal award, and to provide the proposed technical assistance within any and all states with a Presidentially declared disaster occurring in CY 2022 (i.e., on a national basis), to eligible communities, including federally recognized tribes, and
• Document proven technical, managerial and financial capacity and experience to carry out the objectives of this program and to comply with state and federal laws and regulations, as evidenced by the applicant’s satisfactory accomplishment of technical assistance similar to that proposed, and
• Have no delinquent debt to the federal government or outstanding judgments to repay a federal debt, and
• Not be a corporation that has been convicted of a felony, or had an officer or agent acting on behalf of the corporation convicted of a felony, within the past 24 months. Any corporation that has any unpaid federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability is not eligible.

Are there additional eligibility requirements?

The applicant must possess legal authority and capability to carry out the technical assistance in any state with a Presidentially declared disaster occurring in CY 2022. The technical assistance must be provided to a community sustaining damage from a CY 2022 Presidentially declared disaster. For the most current list of Presidentially declared disasters occurring in CY 2022, visit the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas and towns with populations of not more than 35,000, including federally recognized tribal lands and Colonias.

How may funds be used?

Technical assistance that may be provided to eligible communities through the CY 2022 Disaster CRTA Grants program includes:

• Short-term disaster and emergency assistance, including on-site technical assistance and troubleshooting;
• Identifying and evaluating long-term solutions, inclusive of Risk and Resilience Assessments, Emergency Response Plans, and other planning documentation;
• Providing training and other resources to operators and management;
• Application development, including any technical work such as feasibility, engineering, and environmental reports; and
• Certain other technical assistance efforts that support the resiliency and capacity of eligible systems.

What kind of funding is available?

• Grant

What are the loan terms?

• N/A

How do we get started?

• Download the current application guide.
• Visit grants.gov during the application period listed at the top of this page to file an application.

Who can answer questions?

• Grant Manager
  Phone:  (202) 253–0504
  Email:  Water-RD@usda.gov 

What governs this program?

Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328). It is implemented in accordance with the provisions established within the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Calendar Year 2022 Disaster Circuit Rider Technical Assistance Grants Program, and adheres to 2 CFR parts 200 and 400, "Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards."

Why does USDA Rural Development do this?

To support eligible communities impacted by Calendar Year 2022 Presidentially declared disasters with technical assistance in post-disaster mitigation of eligible events, to identify and evaluate solutions to impacted water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste challenges, help communities develop and prepare applications for water and waste loans and grants, deliver training and other resources to operators, managers, and other system personnel, and pay certain expenses associated with the provision of such services.