USDA Rural Development programs available to local governments and related entities

USDA Rural Development helps local governments finance essential public infrastructure like reliable drinking water, wastewater management and solid waste management.We also help with funding for business development projects like main street improvements and needed community resources from law enforcement and emergency responce equipment and facilities to equipment that increases access to education, training and healthcare in rural areas.

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Resources for local governments:

  • Community Facilities Loans, loan guarantees and grants(CF)
    Funding assistance to develop essential community facilities for public use, including healthcare, fire protection, public safety, libraries, schools, day care centers and other community-based initiatives in rural areas with populations under 20,000.

  • Water infrastructure Loans & Grants (WEP)
    Funding assistance for drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste and storm drainage facilities in rural areas and cities and towns with populations under 10,000.

  • Solid Waste Management Technical Assistance Grants.
    Helps fund evaluation of current landfill conditions to determine threats to water resources. Provides technical assistance and training to enhance operator skills in the operation and maintenance of active landfills in areas with populations under 10,000.

  • Rural Community Development Initiative Grants (RCDI)
    For capacity-building programs in areas with a population less than 50,000.

  • Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG)
    Provides small grants to local governments, Indian tribes and rural private non-profits to help fund activities that facilitate development of small and emerging rural-based businesses, to help fund distance learning networks, and other employment related adult education programs. RBEGs may fund a broad array of activities that assist with business development and job creation.

  • Broadband Infrastructure Loans
    Loans for funding, on a technology neutral basis, for the costs of construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment to provide broadband service to eligible rural communities.

  • Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT)
    Meets the educational and health care needs of rural America through loans, grants and loan/grant combinations.

  • Community Connect grants
    Helps fund broadband infrastructure and establish a community center which offers free public access to broadband for two years.

  • Self-help Housing Development Grants
    Families participating in a mutual self-help project perform approximately 65 percent of the construction labor on each other's homes under qualified supervision.

  • Home Repair Grants
    Helps fund community programs that assist low-income homeowners with needed repairs and improvements.

  • Home Building Site Development Loans
    Financing for the purchase and development of housing sites for low- and moderate-income families.

  • Farm Labor Housing Development Loans
    Helps finance affordable housing for farm labor.

  • Housing Application Packaging Grants
    Helps fund local governments and non-profit organizations to package applications for submission to our rural housing and community facilities programs.
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Additional Resources
Printable chart of USDA RD Rural Utilities and Community Programs
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Community Facilities loan-guarantees
Loan guarantees help private lenders extend affordable terms to local governments by reducing the risk of lending in rural communities. These programs are designed for water and waste water treatment projects in small rural communities where needed capital is not otherwise available through the private market. To participate, a lender must be publicly regulated (state or federal) with demonstrable experience in commercial lending.

Ask your local lender if a USDA Rural Development Loan Guarantee is right for your community.

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System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

SAM is the new streamlined reporting system for USDA and other federal agencies. The consolidated system simplifies the process for loan and grant recipients and makes project tracking more transparent.

SAM Phase 1 includes the capabilities previously included in the following legacy systems: Central Contractor Registration (CCR), Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List.

Details and FAQs are available online at http://sam.gov. The web addresses for legacy systems will also automatically redirect users to SAM.