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

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

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 broadband, placemaking, infrastructure, and the arts.

Grant Opportunities & More

USDA’s Community Connect Grants Reopen

The Community Connect provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist. Eligible applicants include:

• State and local governments
• Federally recognized Tribes
• Nonprofits
• For-profit corporations
• Limited liability companies

Funds may be used for the construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, spectrum, land or buildings used to deploy broadband service for all residential and business customers located within the Proposed Funded Service Area and/or all participating essential community facilities (such as public schools, fire stations, public libraries, and public safety stations).

Application Deadline: June 20, 2023

Community Connect Grant

Placemaking Grants and Technical Assistance for Rural Communities

The National Endowment for the Arts seeks rural communities of 50,000 people or less to apply for the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) program which funds technical assistance to support rural communities with placemaking. Selected applicants emerge from CIRD programs with greater capacity and a wealth of resources to lead their community through current and future community design challenges. Design strategies may include:

• Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of community buildings
• Designing quality affordable housing that supports livable, equitable communities
• Creating public or civic spaces that support and integrate cultural expression and local identity
• Developing recreational trails for mobility, active transportation, and economic development
• Designing spaces and places that improve access to healthy food and local food systems
• Integrating cultural identity into the built environment to drive heritage tourism

For questions, contact: cird@ruralhome.org

Application Deadline: April 21, 2023

CIRD Program Info

Submit Application

Want Better Internet? Share your Opinion

The High Speed NV Initiative is a project of the Governor’s Office of Science Innovation and Technology with the goal to ensure that all Nevadans have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. Citizen listening sessions are being conducted through April in all 17 counties. Discussion topics range from access to affordable and reliable internet, to cybersecurity and digital skills training.

Find Listening Dates & Take Survey

Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program has $5 billion in appropriated funds available over the next 5 years. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators.

The following 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

Grants can range from $100,000 up to $2.5 million.

Application Deadline: July 10, 2023

SS4A Program Info

SS4A Application

Nevada Arts Council: Folklife Community Grants

The Nevada Arts Council Grants Program reflects a significant commitment by the State of Nevada to support the creation of art and access to the arts for its citizens. Nevada Arts Council grants support the efforts of nonprofit arts and community organizations, public institutions, and individual artists to make cultural activities and experiences widely available to those who live in or visit Nevada.

The Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Folklife Community Grant (FLC) supports programs with folk artists and culture bearers presented by small community organizations. Eligible projects focus on the transmission or presentation of folk arts or traditions that are practiced, valued, and shared within culturally specific communities in Nevada. Funds also support Nevada’s individual artists, dance, opera and theatre companies, symphonies, orchestras, choral groups, and local arts councils statewide.

Application Deadline: June 1, 2023

Folklife Grant Fact Sheet

Register for Informative Broadband Webinars Today!

A new funding window has opened for the USDA’s Community Connect Grant Program. The Community Connect Program provides financial assistance in the form of grants to eligible applicants that will provide, on a “community-oriented connectivity” basis, broadband service that fosters economic growth and delivers enhanced educational, health care, and public safety benefits.

The USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is hosting two webinars to provide information about the Community Connect Program and will cover the recently published Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

This webinar will include:
• A brief overview of the Community Connect Program
• The current NOFO
• A walkthrough of the application process
• Next steps and important dates
• An opportunity to ask questions about the NOFO

The USDA will present this webinar twice. Attendees should select the date that works best for their schedule. The webinars will include the same information at each session.

Webinar: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM PT

Webinar: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM PT

Webinar Registration: March 28th

Webinar Registration: April 11th