Funding Opportunities, Resources, Events and Learning: Innovation Matters

Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure

Community Facilities Direct Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects include fire and rescue stations, town halls, health care clinics and hospitals. Application deadline: Open
Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities (CF) in rural areas. Examples of community facilities include health care facilities, buildings like town halls, and public safety facilities such as fire departments. Application deadline: Open
Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers financial assistance to eligible service providers that will construct, improve, or expand telecommunication and broadband networks in rural areas. Application deadline: Open

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage and solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Application deadline: Open

Water and Waste Disposal Pre-development Planning Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers grants to help eligible low-income, rural communities plan and develop applications for the Water and Waste Disposal loan/grant and loan guarantee programs. Application deadline: Open

Funding Opportunities Supporting
Community and Economic Development

Distributed Generation Energy Project Financing
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans and loan guarantees to energy developers for distributed energy projects that provide wholesale or retail electricity to electric utilities serving rural communities. Application deadline: Open
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides loans to utilities that provide retail electric service to help consumers save money, reduce the need to purchase or generate energy, reduce electricity emissions, and help strengthen rural economies through energy efficiency and conservation projects. Application deadline: Open

Brownfields Job Training Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
EPA provides funding to eligible entities, including nonprofits, to help unemployed and underemployed residents prepare for careers in environmental cleanup and sustainable redevelopment. Application deadline: 9/26/2025

Coastal Program
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
The U.S. DOI Fish and Wildlife Service offers this community-based program which provides technical and financial support to address conservation challenges of priority coastal ecosystems through cooperative agreements. The goal is to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats on both public and private lands. Application deadline: 9/30/2025
Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
National Rural Health Resource Center
A federally funded program that offers assistance to rural hospitals, at no cost to them, to help improve their financial stability by enhancing or expanding health care services that meet community needs. Application deadline: Open, rolling basis
Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program
A federally funded initiative that offers comprehensive technical assistance to rural hospitals to address financial and operational challenges and maintain essential health services for their communities. Application deadline: 9/30/2025

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Funding Opportunities for Tribal Communities

USDA Rural Development's Tribal Relations web page offers a calendar of events, funding opportunities, news releases, success stories, and more!
Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development offers this program to help remote Alaskan villages provide safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal systems for households and businesses. Application deadline: Open

Tribal College Initiative GrantsU.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development provides funding to Tribal colleges for infrastructure improvements, to purchase equipment, and to develop essential community facilities. Application deadline: Open

Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development helps get safe, reliable drinking water and waste-disposal services to low-income communities that face significant health risks. Application deadline: Open
Community Development Block Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD offers competitive grants to Indian tribes for the development of decent housing, suitable living environment and economic opportunities to advance viable Indian and Alaska Native communities. Application deadline: 11/24/2025