Funding Opportunities
Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.
Funding Agency: USDA Rural Development
Application Dates: Accepted year round
Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program
This program provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities (CF) in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a public improvement, operated on a non-profit basis, needed for the orderly development of a rural community where the rural community is a city or town, or its equivalent county or multi-county area. The term “facility” refers to both the physical structure financed, and the resulting service provided to rural residents or rural businesses.
Funding Agency: USDA Rural Development
Application Dates: Accepted year round
Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees
This program provides financing for the construction, maintenance, improvement and expansion of telephone service and broadband in rural areas. The loan and loan guarantee program offers financial assistance to eligible service providers that will construct, improve, or expand telecommunication and broadband networks in rural areas.
Funding Agency: USDA Rural Development
Application Dates: Accepted year round.
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to healthcare for high-need populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving healthcare demands, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. The Foundations also support medical research and the development of young investigators to help create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health. The board meets to approve grants in March, June, September and December. The average time from proposal submission to grant award is six months. Click Here to Apply.
Funding Agency: Hearst Foundations
Application Dates: Accepted year round
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants
This competitive program helps rural communities use advanced telecommunications technology to connect to each other - and the world - overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. We encourage you to consider projects that promote equity and economic opportunity in rural America, specifically those that advance these key priorities:
- Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
- Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development programs and benefits from Rural Development funded projects; and
- Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.
Funding Agency: USDA Rural Development