Five for Friday: April 28, 2023

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 business cooperatives, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, cultural development and clean energy.

Grant Opportunities & More

USDA Grants to Strengthen Rural Cooperatives and Expand Access to New and Better Markets

The Rural Cooperative Development Grant program improves the economic condition of rural areas by helping individuals and businesses start, expand or improve rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through Cooperative Development Centers. Grants up to $200,000 are awarded through a national competition. Each fiscal year, applications are requested through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Nonprofit corporations and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for this program. Public bodies, cooperatives, for-profit business and individuals are NOT eligible. A Center can be in any area, but the individuals and business assisted must be located in an eligible rural area.

Examples of technical assistance and other services the Centers provide are:

• Conducting feasibility studies
• Developing business plans
• Providing leadership and operational improvement training
• Facilitating strategic planning

Application Deadline: June 26, 2023

Federal Register

Stakeholder Announcement

Empowering Entrepreneurship: Nevada Ecosystem Assessment and Plan April 2023

EDAWN in partnership with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, and America’s SBDC of Nevada came together to conduct a comprehensive assessment and strategy for empowering entrepreneurship in Nevada in order to foster economic growth, vitality, and stability.

The assessment, commissioned by GOED, was conducted by Entrepreneurial Communities, a team of experts who interviewed hundreds of stakeholders across the state, including entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and educators, to assess the areas for improvement within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and recommend implementation strategies.

More Information

Full Report

Funding Available to Help Rural Communities Improve Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Whether you need to build, expand, or renovate your system, USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program has funds available.

Program Highlights:

• Projects must be in a rural area with a population of 10,000 or less
• Eligible applicants may be public bodies, nonprofits, or Federally-recognized Tribes
• Low interest rate funding can be combined with grants to keep user costs reasonable
• Longer financing terms are available with typical projects financed over 40 years

Application Deadline: Ongoing

USDA Nevada Program Information

File Application Online

USDA Nevada Contacts

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grants Support Wide Range of Nonprofit Activities

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation supports worthwhile activities for which nonprofit organizations have made their best case for receiving funding. Funding is provided for specific projects/activities and operating support.

The Foundation will consider:

• Museums, cultural, and performing arts programs
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Educational and skills training programs
• Programs for youth, seniors, and the handicapped
• Environmental and wildlife protection activities
• Support for the homeless and other community-based organizations and their programs

Eligible applicants are IRS-qualified 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations located within the United States.

Application Deadline for Fall 2023: May 10, 2023

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants: Community Charging

The US Department of Transportation Community Charging grants are made available annually to install electric vehicle charging and alternative fuel in locations on public roads, schools, parks, and in publicly accessible parking facilities. These grants will be prioritized for rural areas, low-and moderate-income neighborhoods, and communities with low ratios of private parking, or high ratios of multi-unit dwellings.

Minimum grant amount is $500,000.

Application Deadline: May 30, 2023

Community Charging Program

Broadband Technical Assistance Applications Now Being Accepted!

$20 million in Technical Assistance Funding Available

The newly announced Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) has been published in the Federal Register. The $20 million available for BTA is made possible by funding the USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) received in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

BTA refers to activities that support broadband expansion into rural areas and may include:

• Project planning and community engagement
• Financial sustainability
• Environmental compliance
• Construction planning and engineering
• Accessing federal resources
• Data collection and reporting

The RUS is accepting applications from broadband technical assistance providers, recipients, and entities proposing projects that would support the growth or expansion of a broadband cooperative that would serve rural communities.

Application Deadline: June 20, 2023

BTA Program

BTA Funding Announcement

USDA Offers New Funding to Promote the Expansion of High-Speed Internet in Rural Areas

$20 million in Technical Assistance Funding is Available to Plan High-Speed Internet Projects in Rural Communities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the $20 million Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) grant program to deliver broadband technical assistance resources for rural communities, and to support the development and expansion of broadband cooperatives.

Funds can be used to promote broadband expansion in eligible rural areas and include activities such as project planning and community engagement, operations, financial sustainability, environmental compliance, construction and engineering planning, accessing federal resources.

Grant awards range from $50,000, to the maximum award amount of $1 million.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include:

• Federally recognized Tribes and Tribal entities
• State or local governments, including agencies and subdivisions, among others
• Territories or possessions of the United States
• Institutions of higher education (including 1862 Land-Grant Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) IRS status
• Cooperatives or mutual organizations
• Corporations
• Limited Liability Companies or Limited Liability Partnerships

BTA Funding Opportunity Announcement Webinar: May 8, 2023, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM PT

BTA Funding Opportunity Announcement Webinar for Tribes and Tribal Entities: May 18, 2023, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM PT

Broadband Technical Assistance Program

Webinar Registration: May 8, 2023

Webinar Registration: May 18, 2023

In the News: Mineral County

Thriving Communities Program USDOT

Congratulations to Mineral County and community partners Walker River Paiute Tribe and Mineral County School District for their successful application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Thriving Communities Program.

The County is working to implement a shared community revitalization plan by merging the community capacity needs for the Babbitt Industrial Park site with the infrastructure needs of the town of Hawthorne. Thriving Communities Program support will help to advance local storm water infrastructure improvements to repair roadways from flooding events and improve community walkability.

Through the Thriving Communities Program, USDOT selects and funds Capacity Builder teams to provide deep-dive technical assistance, planning, and capacity building support to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities across the U.S.

The goal is to assist communities with the technical tools and organizational capacity to comprehensively plan for and deliver quality infrastructure projects and community development projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive.

The FY 2023 Thriving Communities Program opportunity for Capacity Builders and communities is expected to open in summer 2023. USDOT will update the Thriving Communities Program website with more information when it is available.

Thriving Communities Program

In the News:
2023 Annual CEDS Workshop

The Western Nevada Development District and the University Center for Economic Development, part of the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno, conducted the annual evaluation and update workshop for WNDD’s 2020 through 2025 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy last Friday. This strategic economic development planning workshop was hosted by the City of Fernley in the City Council Chambers.

Workshop participants included WNDD members and key community stakeholders who were given an opportunity to evaluate the existing strategic economic development vision, goals, and actionable items. They also prioritized projects, assessed existing local and regional socio-demographics, and economic and housing conditions. The workshop completed a revised Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis for the region, and teed up the final selection of revised priority CEDS projects for the coming year.

Shout out to Frederick Steinmann, DPPD, Director of the University Center for Economic Development for facilitating a brisk and meaningful workshop.