INFRASTRUCTURE

Opening Jan 31 - USDA RD's New Round of Reconnect Program Funding for Rural Broadband

On December 12, 2019, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the availability of a second round of $550 million in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)  Reconnect Pilot Program  funding appropriated by Congress. USDA will make available up to $200 million for grants, up to $200 million for 50/50 grant/loan combinations, and up to $200 million for low-interest loans. The application window for this round of funding will open Jan. 31, 2020. Applications for all funding products will be accepted in the same application window, which will close no later than March 16, 2020. A full description of 2020 ReConnect Pilot Program funding is available on page 67913 of the Dec. 12, 2019,  Federal Register  (PDF, 336 KB). To learn more about eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit  www.usda.gov/reconnect .

 

INNOVATION and TECHNOLOGY:

LOI Due Jan 8: EDA/NIST Disaster Resilience and Response Technology Challenge Grant

Deadline is approaching to submit Letters of Intent to apply for Accelerate R2 Network Challenge. The Economic Development Administration(EDA), in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), are seeking proposals to form national networks to support innovation, entrepreneurship, research, and investment in transformative technologies in the response and resiliency markets. Visit Here for specific details.

Closes Jan 31 - FEMA FY19 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program Funding.

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program makes available Federal funds to State, Local and Tribal Governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters. Visit Grants.gov for full details: Click Here.

Open Federal Funding Opportunities:

Below is a list of previously highlighted funding opportunities that are still open. Enter the Opportunity Number in Grants.gov to see announcement details. You can also search Grants.gov for a full list of current federal opportunities, including programs not listed below.

 

Opportunity Number	Opportunity Title	Agency		Posted Date	Close Date
PWEAA2020	FY 2020 EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs	DOC-EDA		10/18/2019	Open
EDA-2019-DISASTER	FY 2019 EDA Disaster Supplemental	DOC-EDA		08/13/2019	Open
FR-6400-N-54	HUD's FY2020 and FY2021 Distressed Cities TA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)	HUD		11/26/2019	Open
DE-FOA-0002144	Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program	DOE-NNSA		12/30/2019	03/04/2020
EDA-HDQ-OIE-2020-2006301	Accelerate R2 Network Challenge - FINAL	DOC		10/18/2019	03/11/2020
CRNR-2020	Coral Reef and Natural Resources Program	DOI		10/16/2019	04/01/2020
TAP-2020	Technical Assistance Program	DOI		10/04/2019	04/01/2020

 

Reports, Research and Tools

NEW: CORI Releases New Rural Assets Mapping Tool

In December 2019, the Center on Rural Innovation's (CORI) released its Rural Opportunity Map , a suite of data visualization and mapping tools to help local leaders, national policymakers, investors, and donors see the potential in rural America. The tool contains hundreds of datasets curated to give insights into tech- and innovation-based economic development strategies and opportunities. Tools include:

• Rural Startup Scout  providing data "on broadband infrastructure, educational attainment, STEM degrees, patent activity, young companies and other local assets to highlight Opportunity Zones with emerging tech sectors. The map is designed to help Opportunity Zone investors identify rural areas that are likely to produce promising tech startups," according to CORI.
• Local Leader Action Map, that helps local leaders understand their assets and communicate rural opportunities.

NEW Opportunity Project Data Sets for Workforce and Economic Development

CORI's Rural Opportunity Map was just one of several tools on display at the US Census Department's recently held Opportunity Project Demo Day , that contain hundreds of data sets from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other government agencies.

• City Builder by Citi, a data-driven, web-based platform that seamlessly aggregates information about U.S. Opportunity Zones, was also featured during the Demo Day event. The site aims to increase transparency and access to information in order to help investors, fund managers, developers, municipalities and community members work together on community development projects. The City Builder platform is accessible at no cost via https://citi.com/citybuilder.

The platform currently supplies data and insights from 9 cites: Chicago, Columbia, S.C.; Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Ky., New York, Newark, and Providence, R.I - with plans to add more cities and expand the site's scope across the country.

• The Opportunity Project website hosts a wealth of issue-specific data recommended by government experts and test-driven by teams working to solve the nation's biggest challenges. The site hosts curated federal data sets relative to Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Zones, Career Pathways, Talent Discovery and more inputs to support your comprehensive economic development strategies.

NEW   Small Business Administration Releases Fact Sheet on Growth in Number of Rural Business Establishments

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are defined around areas of high population density.  A comparison of counties within MSAs to those outside reveals how growth has varied between metropolitan and rural areas.  Since 2000, the number of establishments in metropolitan counties has grown by 30.9 percent, while the number in rural counties has grown by only 7.2 percent. More information on trends can be found in the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy's "Small Business Facts: Growth in Number of Rural Establishments."

Disaster Recovery Resources & Info

Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations

• You can find the latest federal emergency and disaster declarations, as well as prior declarations for other areas, on FEMA's disaster declarations webpage.

• Amended Declarations: Existing Declarations may be subsequently amended to expand covered areas, provide notification that an incident has been closed, or make other necessary changes.

Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/federal-emergency-management-agency#documents

Funding and other Assistance Available for Economic Recovery:

EDA Disaster Supplemental Funding Available for Areas Impacted by 2018/19 Disasters

On August 13, 2019, EDA announced the EDA Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), making available $587 million for eligible grantees in communities impacted by Presidentially declared natural disasters in 2018, and by floods and tornadoes in 2019. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. View Opportunity Number EDA-2019-DISASTER on Grants.gov, and contact your EDA Regional Office representative for eligibility information and application assistance. For more information, view EDA's September 2019 webinar video recording and download the slides on our Disaster Supplemental Web page . 

• View information about EDA grants made, as well as related resources on EDA's Disaster Recovery web page.

EPA Toolkit Features Resources to Prepare for Natural Disasters

The U.S. EPA Urban Waters Federal Partnership has released a new toolkit, How to Prepare for Natural Disasters: A Pre-Disaster Toolkit for Small to Medium-Sized Communities . 

The toolkit has two sections - one for local government officials, including Emergency Management Coordinators (EMCs), utility district managers, and local elected officials - and a section for community residents. It provides information, tools and resources to help with planning for hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters. Click  here  to access the toolkit. 

 

USDA Rural Housing Announced Availability of 2019 Disaster Relief Act Funds

USDA Rural Housing Service's Community Facilities Program (CF) has supplemental grant funding available for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence and wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018, tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, and other natural disasters. Submit applications through USDA State Office contacts, available at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/offices/state-offices .