Five for Friday: February 17, 2023

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Curated by: The Western Nevada Development District…

This edition of Five for Friday focuses on opportunities for economic development around the region in the areas of recreation, business accelerators, farming and the arts.

Grant Opportunities & More

Expanding Recreation Economies Across Rural America
Federal Agencies Partnering to Create New Tools and Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in mid-January that it will create a plan to expand recreation economies to help people thrive across rural America. The USDA Rural Development, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and U.S. Forest Service will partner to develop an annual plan to expand economic opportunities related to recreation in communities surrounding America’s national forests. The annual plan will outline the ways the agencies will partner to conduct program outreach, host informational sessions and workshops, and develop toolkits to help people access the resources they need to thrive in recreation economies.

The agencies will also:

  1. Provide technical and planning assistance to help local, state and Tribal leaders develop regional economic development plans that advance recreation economies
  2. Provide funding under Rural Development and NIFA programs to help U.S. Forest Service gateway communities expand resilient recreation infrastructure and business development projects that create jobs
  3. Develop and maintain strategic partnerships

USDA Rural Development Stakeholder Announcement

USDA RISE Grant Program: From Innovation Centers to Job Accelerators

The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas.

RISE grant funds can be used to:

• Build or support a business incubator facility
• Provide worker training to assist in the creation of new jobs
• Train the existing workforce with skills for higher-paying jobs
• Develop a base of skilled workers and improve their opportunities to obtain high-wage jobs in new or existing local industries

The RISE project must serve a rural region small enough to allow close collaboration among partners. It also must include important elements of the region’s prioritized industry cluster (concentrations of related industries).

Grant amounts are awarded competitively with a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum grant amount of $2,000,000.

Application Deadline: April 20, 2023

RISE Grant Program

Farmers Market Promotion Program Promotes Farm-to-Table Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year 2023 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP). FMPP’s purpose is to support the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer markets to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. FMPP achieves this goal through the creation, coordination, and delivery of outreach, training, and technical assistance to domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, agritourism activities, online sales or other direct producer-to-consumer (including direct producer-to-retail, direct producer-to-restaurant and direct producer-to-institutional marketing) market opportunities.

Approximately $15.4 million is available to fund FMPP applications under this solicitation. FMPP Capacity Building projects range from $50,000 to $250,000, while Community Development Training and Technical Assistance projects range from $100,000 to $500,000.

Application Deadline: May 2, 2023
Webinar: March 15, 2023 at 10 am PT

2023 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)

Webinar

Nevada BLM Visitor Services Partnerships

The BLM’s Recreation and Visitor Services Program oversees a broad and complex set of recreation related programs, which provide a multitude of recreation opportunities and experiences. These recreation resources and visitor services support strong local economies and public land conservation. BLM Nevada has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with the following:

• Increase and enhance access to BLM public lands and waters
• Increase and enhance recreational opportunities
• Enhance public satisfaction at BLM recreation sites and areas
• Collect visitor and recreation resource data by conducting inventories and visitor assessments
• Conduct inventory, monitoring, data management, assessment, planning on BLM public lands and waters
• Provide enriched visitor services information, interpretation and education, including websites
• Protect visitor health and safety
• Improve accessibility for persons with disabilities
• Improve motorized and non-motorized trails including trail construction and maintenance, comprehensive travel and transportation inventory and assessment

Program funding totals $1.6 million with awards ranging from $20,000 to $750,000.

Eligible institutions include, state and local governments, non-profits and Native American Tribal Governments.

Application Deadline: April 10, 2023

NOFO: Nevada BLM Recreation and Visitor Services Program

Challenge America Bolsters Arts Programs to the Underserved

The National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to groups/communities with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural contributions to share that are underserved. Challenge America features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000. Grants require a cost share/match of $10,000 consisting of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater.

Challenge America supports arts projects in all artistic disciplines, including Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Arts, Theater, and Visual Arts.

Possible projects include, but are not limited to: arts programming, including commissioning or presentation of artists or artwork; marketing and promotional activities; and organizational planning.

This category may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding.

Application Deadline: April 27, 2023

Challenge America Bolsters Arts Programs

Microloan Program Rollout Features $5.3 million In Financing for Nevada’s Small Businesses

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A Critical Investment in the Community Lending Ecosystem!

Nevada is the first state in the nation to launch a novel Microloan program under the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) featuring a newly developed refinancing mechanism to strengthen Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) lending to small businesses.

Battle Born Growth Microloan, overseen by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), will receive $5.3 million for the first three-year tranche and nearly $16 million in total. The program works to support small businesses from traditionally underserved communities. It partners with mission-driven lenders such as CDFIs.

Small Businesses seeking less than $250,000 in financing are encouraged to consult the dedicated website at NVSmallBiz/Microloans. The website contains a matching platform created in partnership with Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF). On this platform, small businesses will be matched with participating lenders.

At the launch, the following CDFIs and community lenders are participating: Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC), MoFi, NDC, CRF, and Access Community Capital.

The Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will be providing free assistance with credit counseling, financial statements, business planning, general business guidance, and more. Lenders will be offering fixed-rate loans up to $250,000 with rates from (currently) 8.75%-11.75% depending on terms. Length of loans can range from between three and six years.

The Microloan Program was built by and for non-profit community lenders so they can increase their capacity to serve the state’s un-banked small businesses This is a critical investment in the community lending ecosystem that will drastically increase access to credit for businesses who are often left behind.

NV Small Biz Microloans

This Just In! Access to More Speaker Presentations

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WNDD Summit Gives the Latest in Grant Information

An abundance of insight in to the world of grants was shared with attendees at the WNDD 2023 Summit. So much so, that we want to share a few more guest speaker presentations in case you missed something. They are perfect reference tools as you work towards getting that next grant for your community.

WEP and CF Programs: Gus Wegren, USDA RD

Business and Cooperatives Programs: Chandler Allen, USDA RD

USDA RD Rural Development Programs & NV Contacts

Brownfields & Other Programs: Lisa Hanusiak, Brownfields PM

WNDD Summit

What You Missed at the WNDD Summit!

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Guest Speakers Provide Access to Summit Presentations

Representatives from entities all over the WNDD region were in attendance at the 2023 WNDD Summit held on January 30th and January 31st, 2023 at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno. Attendees learned the latest grant writing, management tools and techniques from a wide range of speakers representing state, federal and private organizations working in the grant sector.

Many thanks to the guest speakers and sponsors of this worthwhile event. The Summit could not have happened without your support.

Some guest speakers have provided access to their Summit presentations and are available here, and at WNDD.org.

WNDD Introduction: Chris Brandon, WNDD Executive Director

The Roadmap to Grant Success: Don Vetter, Vetter PR, Inc.

Grants 101: Nicole Kelleher and Mayita Sanchez, OFA

Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG): Jessica Sanders, CDBG Program Administrator

WNDD Summit

Five for Friday: February 3, 2023

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Curated by: The Western Nevada Development District…

This edition of Five for Friday focuses on opportunities for economic development around the region in the areas of rural services, business development, infrastructure and food security.

Grant Opportunities & More

From Fire Trucks to Telemedicine: USDA Program Bolsters Rural Community Services

The USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant 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. Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as childcare centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses

Application Deadline: Open

Fact Sheet

Rural Business Development Grants

USDA Rural Development program designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses that have fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue. Uses include project planning/feasibility study, business incubators, land acquisition, leadership and entrepreneur training.

Contact your state to learn about local application timelines, concept paper requirements.

Application Deadline: February 28, 2023

State Contacts

Federal Register

Local Foods, Local Places Toolkit: A Guide to Help Communities Revitalize Using Local Food Systems

Nationwide, consumers are growing more interested in getting foods from producers in the same geographic region through farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, farm-to-school programs, and similar initiatives. Strong interest from communities prompted a group of federal agencies to offer assistance with a community-driven planning process that explores how to use the benefits of local foods to help revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods.

The resulting Local Foods, Local Places Program presented by the U.S. EPA helps communities create action plans that chart a course for using local foods to help meet a broad range of community goals. The program and its predecessor, Livable Communities in Appalachia, has worked with more than 80 communities since 2014.

Local Foods Local Places Program

Program Background: Livable Communities in Appalachia

Local Foods Toolkit

National Roadway Safety Strategy Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is a discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next 5 years. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. This week, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, announced $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the first round of funding for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program.

Activities are eligible for the SS4A program:

• Develop or update a comprehensive safety action plan (Action Plan)
• Conduct planning, design, and development activities in support of an Action Plan
• Carry out projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan

Round 2 of grant funding is expected to open in April 2023

Award Announcement and Selected Projects

National Roadway Safety Strategy Grants

Conserve and Improve Wildlife Habitat

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance in the form of cooperative and grant agreements to private landowners to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. Current U.S. Fish and Wildlife partners include farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, recreational landowners, corporations, local governments and universities. Priority goes to projects judged likely to provide habitat for rare, threatened and endangered species. Projects have a minimum duration of 10 years. In addition to private landowners, we partner with other federal agencies, state agencies and non-governmental organizations to complete projects on private lands. Maximum grant awards of $750,000.

Review all program information and contact your state Fish and Wildlife biologist BEFORE developing or submitting an application.

Program Contact Information

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

Notice of Funding: Fish and Wildlife Program