The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Community Facilities Program, is providing $150 million in grants to help rural communities recover from natural disasters. The USDA disaster recovery funding is in the Additional Supplemental Appropriation for Disaster Relief Act that was signed into law by President Trump on June 6.
“When rural America thrives, all of America thrives,” Bruce Lammers, the USDA’s Housing Service Administrator, said in a press release.
The USDA disaster recovery funding can be used for relief from hurricanes Michael and Florence, the 2018 wildfires and other disasters for which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided a notice declaring a Major Disaster Declaration and assigned a FEMA disaster recovery (DR) number, according to the press release.
Applications are being accepted by USDA state offices and will continue to be accepted until funds run out. Assistance will be provided in higher proportion to smaller communities with the lowest median incomes. The FEMA website can be checked for updates and the names of communities that are given grants.
Community Facilities funding is available to more than 100 types of projects aimed at rural Americans. Eligible entities include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federal recognized Native American tribes. The projects must be in areas with populations of 20,000 or fewer people.
Loans and grants from the USDA supporting rural development and job creation can be used for infrastructure improvements, business development, high speed Internet access, housing and to support community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care.
The effort to help rural communities is the product of an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity that generated 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments.