Five for Friday: July 12, 2024
Five for Friday: Grant Opportunities and More!
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 Brownfields Grants, charging and fueling infrastructure, nutrition, and regional events.
Grant Opportunities & More
FY25 EPA Brownfields Grant Types and Amounts Announced!
The EPA has just announced specifics for the agency’s FY25 Brownfields grants. Approximately $235 million will be available in the form of: Community Wide Assessment, Assessment Coalition, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants this application cycle. Grants offered by the Brownfields Program may be used to address reuse strategies for vacant properties or underutilized properties that may have environmental concerns as well as sites contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum) and petroleum. EPA anticipates issuing the solicitations for funding in September 2024.
Types of Brownfields Grant Funding
Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants
The Federal Highway Administration is accepting applications for its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. The CFI Round 2 NOFO offers up to $1.3 billion in funding for new applications and for previously submitted applications. The CFI Program is a competitive grant program to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles.
The Program provides two categories of grants:
1. Community Charging and Alternative Fueling Grants (Community Program)
2. Charging and Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program)
On June 6th, FHWA hosted a grant overview webinar, and on June 11th a webinar on reconsideration of Round 1 applications. These recordings are available to view below.
Application Deadline: August 28, 2024
More Info and Recorded Webinars
Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Grants
The USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) provides loans, grants, and technical assistance resources to improve and support access to fresh, healthy, affordable food in urban and rural underserved communities. Applicants may apply for loans ranging from $500,000 to $5 million to implement healthy food projects. Funds may be used to support predevelopment, land acquisition, renovations, and equipment purchases. Applicants may also apply for grants up to $250,000 to implement healthy food projects. Funds may be used to support project management, equipment purchases, and construction.
Applications are open to:
• State, local, Tribal governments, and their agencies
• Nonprofit organizations
• Cooperative businesses
• For-profit businesses
Humboldt/Pershing Brownfields Grant Community Meeting July 24
Humboldt County and the 95-80 Regional Development Authority are hosting an EPA Brownfields Grant Community Meeting on Wednesday, July 24 at 6:00 pm at the Winnemucca Convention Center – East Hall, 50 W Winnemucca Blvd, Winnemucca, NV.
The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the county’s Brownfields Program. Humboldt County was awarded a $500,000 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant in 2023, which is being used to conduct environmental site assessments and prepare any cleanup and reuse plans for Brownfields sites, along with funding community outreach activities. The program covers the Nevada 95-80 region of both Humboldt and Pershing counties.
Brownfields are vacant properties or underutilized properties that may have environmental concerns related to previous industrial or commercial activities on those properties. Making our community better, welcoming, and pleasant, Brownfields programs also boost the local economy by creating jobs, improving the value of adjacent property, and increasing general tax revenues.
Broadband Technical Assistance for Rural Communities
The USDA’s Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) program provides financial assistance through cooperative agreements to eligible entities to receive or deliver broadband technical assistance and training. Funds can be used to promote broadband expansion in eligible rural areas and includes activities such as project planning and community engagement, operations, financial sustainability, environmental compliance, construction and engineering planning, accessing federal resources, and data collection and reporting.
The USDA is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am PT to cover the following topics:
• An Overview of the Broadband Technical Assistance Program
• Fiscal Year 2024 Program Requirements
• How to Apply and Key Application Resources
• Important Dates and Next Steps
• Questions and Answer Period
Application Deadline: August 20, 2024
