The USDA Rural Development's Business & Industry (B&I) CARES Act Program is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program is accepting applications for projects that fight food insecurity through developing community food projects that promote self-sufficiency.

The National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund is now accepting applications for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO).

The National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced funding for preservation planning, National Register nominations, as well as research and educational outreach initiatives for historic sites along the corridor.

The USDA Rural Community Development Initiative program has funding for community and economic development projects in rural areas.

USDA is making grants available under the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program to identify and plan for community facility needs.

The USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Program has funding available to help agricultural producers and small rural businesses generate new products and create and expand marketing opportunities.

The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design, an initiative of NEA, is offering two programs for rural communities: 1) A Design Workshop where communities receive technical assistance and a $6,000 stipend towards a community-engaged design workshop, and 2) A Design Learning Cohort where members join a national network of peers.

A free seven week online course on Adaptation Planning and Practices for Recreation, funded by USDA and USFS, has opened its registration.

The USDA Rural Development's Business & Industry (B&I) CARES Act Program is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Agricultural producers that are not eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency loans may receive funding under USDA Business and Industry CARES Act Program provisions included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The Agency will consider applications in the order they are received by the Agency. The Agency will distribute CARES Act funds on a first-come, first-served basis.

Access recorded webinars for businesses and producers. For more information, contact Mark Brodziski, Acting Administrator, Rural Business and Cooperative Service, Rural Development at mark.brodziski@usda.gov or (202) 205–0903.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP) is accepting applications for projects that fight food insecurity through developing community food projects that help promote the self-sufficiency of low-income communities.

NIFA's Community Food Projects (CFP) is funding two types of grants:

For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov. Read the abstracts of previously funded programs (including several tribal programs) at Read the Abstracts.

The National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund is now accepting applications for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO). The Historic Preservation Fund provides annually appropriated funding to Tribes that have signed agreements with the National Park Service designating them as having an approved Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) to protect and conserve important Tribal cultural and historic assets and sites.

Costs covered include staff salaries, archeological and architectural surveys, review and compliance activities, comprehensive preservation studies, National Register nominations, educational programs, and other preservation-related activities. These grants are not competitively awarded. The amount granted to each THPO is determined by formula developed in consultation with the tribes.

If you are unsure if your Tribe has an existing THPO partnership agreement with the National Park Service, you can search the THPO database of existing partners. The Historic Preservation Fund Grants Manual was developed by NPS to assist grantees in applying for HPF grants. For other questions, contact Tribal Heritage Grant Manager Madeline Konz, Grants Management Specialist at (202) 354-2064 or madeline_konz@nps.gov.

In recognition of the significance of Route 66 to America’s heritage, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program was established in 1999 to preserve the special places and stories of the historic highway. An estimated range of $5,000 To $30,000 of funding is anticipated for each award.

The National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced it is offering a cost-share grant season in 2021. These grants can assist with preservation planning, National Register nominations, preservation and rehabilitation work on eligible historic sites, as well as research and educational outreach initiatives. Assistance is also provided to support research, planning, oral history, and educational outreach projects related to the preservation of Route 66.

For more information, contact Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program at (505) 988-6701 or Kaisa_barthuli@nps.gov.

The National Park Service’s (NPS) Underrepresented Community Grant Program (URC) is intended to diversify the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places to include communities that are currently underrepresented. URC grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), and are administered by the NPS.

This grant program supports the survey, inventory and designation of historic properties that are associated with communities currently underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places and among National Historic Landmarks. All funded projects must result in:

For more information, contact Tribal Heritage Grant Manager Madeline Konz, Grants Management Specialist at (202) 354-2064 or madeline_konz@nps.gov.

The USDA Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program provides funding for community and economic development projects in rural areas. The minimum grant award is $50,000; the maximum is $250,000. RCDI funding can be used to provide technical assistance to develop capacity to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities or community and economic development, including hiring of staff to provide technical assistance.

Funding can be used to:

Contact your local state Rural Development office or visit the USDA Rural Community Development webpage.

USDA is making grants available under the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program. Communities can use the grants to hire specialized personnel, pay for feasibility studies, retain consultants to prepare financial assistance applications and identify and plan for long-term community facilities needs.

Funds may be used to:

Contact your local state Rural Development office or visit the USDA Rural Community Development webpage.

The USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant Program is making funding available to help agricultural producers and small rural businesses generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income.

Funds can be used for planning activities or for working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural products, including processing costs, marketing and advertising expenses and some inventory and salary expenses.

Value added products are raw agricultural products that have been modified or enhanced to have a higher market value or a longer shelf life. Examples include fruits made into pies, jellies or jams, meats made into jerky, corn into cornmeal or maple syrup into candies.

An agricultural food product can be a raw, cooked or processed edible substance, beverage or ingredient intended for human consumption. Applications for locally produced agricultural food products must demonstrate how local distribution and sales of the raw agricultural food product results in increased value to the commodity, and how it expands markets for, and increases financial returns to, the agricultural producer applicants.

Contact your local state Rural Development office or visit the USDA Rural Development Value Added Producers webpage.

The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD), an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council, is offering two programs for rural communities: 1) A Design Workshop where communities receive technical assistance and a $6,000 stipend towards a community-engaged design workshop, and 2) A Design Learning Cohort where members join a national network of peers engaged in online learning.

The Design Workshop provides technical assistance towards a community-engaged design workshop. The award winners host a multi-day community workshop with support from a wide range of design, planning and creative placemaking professionals to develop actionable solutions to the community's pressing design challenges.

Visit CIRD's webpage and read the 2021 Request for Applications, You can also join CIRD for open office hours through Facebook during the week of February 15th and the week of March 1st. Check our Facebook page for more details.

The USDA Climate Hubs, US Forest Service Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center, Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals and The Northern Institute are sponsoring a recreation-focused Adaptation Planning and Practices training in a series of seven virtual sessions. There is no fee thanks to support from the US Forest Service and the USDA Climate Hubs. Applications are being accepted until March 15, 2021. This training provides hands-on training in considering climate change information and identifying adaptation actions for outdoor recreation management. Participants will receive coaching and feedback on their own real-world climate adaptation project throughout the course. For more information, click here or contact Leslie Brandt at leslie.brandt@usda.gov