WNDD Webinar: Tips & Tactics to Land a Grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration

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The Western Nevada Development District shared the big picture view of the grant opportunities, priorities and programs offered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) in an informational webinar event that gave the low down for developing a competitive grant application for your organization.

The webinar features:

  • EDA Investment Priorities & Programs
  • EDA Grant Eligibility & Process
  • Life Cycle of a Successful Grant Application
  • The WNDD Competitive Advantage
  • And Special Guests!

    • Watch the Video!

Five for Friday: Grant Opportunities Collected by the Western Nevada Development District

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Economic development grants and loans can help revitalize and build sustainability in urban, rural, and tribal communities. Strategic investments help support local economies, create jobs, and attract private investments to better residents’ lives. Every first Friday, the Western Nevada Development District will share our Five for Friday; grant programs from a variety of sources that can help kickstart a business, raise up a neighborhood or build broadband connectivity.

Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge

USDA is making available up to $3 million in cooperative agreements under the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC). Qualified entities can use the funds to help rural communities create plans to enhance capacity for broadband access; preserve cultural and historic structures; and support the development of transportation, housing, and recreational spaces. The grant program emphasizes partnerships and collaboration among public, private, and philanthropic and community partners. USDA is offering a Webinar on the grant program on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. PDT. Click here to register. Grant application deadline is July 26. Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge | Rural Development (usda.gov)

USDA Loan and Microenterprise Program

USDA Rural Development funding provides loans and grants to microenterprise development organizations to help them establish revolving loan programs to assist microenterprises and businesses with 10 or fewer full-time employees. Application Deadline: June 30, 2021.  Click here for more information and to apply.

Building Broadband Infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is making available $288 million in grant funding to deploy broadband infrastructure. Grants will be awarded to partnerships between a state or political subdivisions of a state and providers of fixed broadband service. Projects should be designed to provide broadband service to the greatest number of households in an eligible service area with an emphasis on rural service. NTIA is holding a series of webinars on June 9 and 10 to inform the public about the program further. More information about the program, including requirements for grant applications, can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity

American Rescue Plan: Museums and Libraries Grants  

The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced a new funding opportunity for $15 million in support for museums, libraries, and Native American and Native Hawaiian communities. The federal investment will provide direct support to address community needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and in assisting with recovery. Projects may continue, enhance, or expand existing programs and services, or they may launch new ones to address emergent needs and unexpected hardships. Equal matching funds are required. Award amounts range from $10,000 – $50,000. The deadline for submitting applications is June 28, 2021, with award announcements anticipated in October 2021. A free informational webinar will be made available on-demand on the IMLS website.

A Community Thrives

This grantmaking and crowdfunding program of USA TODAY NETWORK with funding from the Gannett Foundation, invests in community-building initiatives across the country. The program is a way to share community improvement ideas on the national stage, gain support through donations and local connections.  During the campaign, nonprofit organizations have the chance to raise funds for their charities on their official A Community Thrives challenge page. At the end of the crowdfunding period, the Gannett Foundation will award grants ranging from $2,500 to $100,000 to selected organizations. Deadline:  nonprofit organizations and municipal programs such as libraries and schools are encouraged to apply between before June 30.  Click here for more information on this opportunity.

WNDD Economic Recovery Update – May 2021

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The May 2021 edition of the Western Nevada Development District’s Economic Recovery & Resiliency Update features a variety of information you can use.

Here are key takeaways:

1. The WNDD’s Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council, with its associated team members, supported by WNDD staff, identified four broad target areas needing focus and attention to recover from COVID-19 and become more resilient to future economic shocks.

2. Nevada is beginning to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The booming housing market, the return of notable events in Reno, the Washoe County gaming win, projected statewide revenue projections, and increased traffic at the Reno Tahoe International Airport are a few metrics we analyzed across the state.

3. The WNDD Board of Directors will review an update to the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and rankings of more than 30 projects related to the strategy at its June 28 meeting.

4.  In May, the Department of Treasury announced its Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds guidelines. The stimulus money marks one of the most significant infusions of federal dollars into the state in history.

This monthly newsletter is part of WNDD’s effort to identify and develop strategies to create and build a more resilient economy in our region, plus the latest in available grant opportunities.

To read the full report.

Five for Friday Grant Opportunities – May 14, 2021

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Collected by the Western Nevada Development District

Economic development grants and loans can help revitalize and build sustainability in urban, rural, and tribal communities. Strategic investments help support local economies, create jobs, and attract private investments to better residents’ lives. Every other Friday, the Western Nevada Development District will share our Five for Friday; grant programs from a variety of sources that can help communities support local business, increase connectivity or provide affordable housing.

The Housing Assistance Council has flexible loan capital available to support preservation of USDA Section 515 properties, HUD-subsidized properties, and naturally occurring affordable housing in rural places. Eligible properties are existing affordable or mixed-income rental housing (with or without current income restrictions). Loans can be $50,000-$1.5 million, interest rates can be as low as 4.5%, and terms can be up to 180 months, with longer amortization periods based on project needs. Eligible borrowers include nonprofit organizations, for-profit developers, housing authorities, and tribal entities. For more information, see HAC’s website.

The Union Pacific Railroad’s Community Ties Giving Program provides Local Grants to nonprofit organizations that address the following categories: Safety, Workforce Development, and Community Spaces. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $25,000. Organizations interested in receiving a grant must complete an online survey to determine eligibility from June 1 through July 31, 2021, which is also the last day that eligible organizations may submit an online application. Visit  the Union Pacific Foundation website  for detailed information about the funding priorities and application process.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation strives to develop strong partnerships with non-profit organizations addressing issues fundamental to economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Current investment priorities are supporting economic mobility in the areas of affordable housing, small business development assisting indigenous or and minority entrepreneurs and neighborhood revitalization. Grant applications are being accepted May 31 through June 25, 2021. More information can be found at: Bank of America Charitable Foundation Philanthropic Strategy.

The FCC Rural Healthcare Program provides funding to eligible healthcare providers in rural areas for telecommunications and broadband services necessary for the provision of healthcare. It offers a discount on telecommunication expenses and network equipment for healthcare facilities to increase connectivity and access to broadband in rural areas to provide and improve healthcare. The application deadline is June 1, 2021. Funding Details: The Rural Health Care Program – Rural Community Toolbox.

USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program grants help fund distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas to increase access to education, training and health care resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable. USDA plans to make $44.5 million available in fiscal year 2021. Of this amount, $10.2 million is intended for projects that provide substance use disorder treatment services in rural areas. Eligible applicants include most state and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses. Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than June 4, 2021. More information:  Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants | Rural Development (usda.gov)  Or the local contact: Jim Park can be reached at: James.Park@USDA.gov

WNDD Economic Recovery Update

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14 Ways Western Nevada Can Become More Resilient

Greetings Fellow Nevadans,

In the April 2021 edition of the Western Nevada Development District’s Economic Recovery & Resiliency Update, you’ll find a variety of information you can use, including:

– Resiliency and recovery tips from national experts
– Funding provided to WNDD members via the American Rescue Plan
– What the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council is up to
– Data and information regarding economic recovery
– Grant and funding opportunities
– And more!

This monthly newsletter is part of WNDD’s effort to identify and develop strategies to create and build a more resilient economy in our region.

Read the Update!

Wndd Member Projects Score More Than $5m In Federal Grants

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Reno Stead Water Reclamation Facility & Tahoe Prosperity Center

A City of Reno water infrastructure project essential to regional business and long-term job growth was given a $5 million boost from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The largest ever EDA grant to a Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) member, it will help fund the Reno Stead Water Reclamation Facility (RSWRF) Effluent Treatment, Storage and Reuse project to help expand the region’s ability to process effluent and provide quality water for reuse by commercial users, new and old in Reno, Nevada.

The EDA also announced a grant award of $164,348 to the Tahoe Prosperity Center to facilitate a Tahoe Basin-wide Economic Recovery and Resiliency Plan.

Both projects were supported by the Western Nevada Development District’s 2020-2025 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, also known as a CEDS. The projects emerged from a selection process that identified and ranked projects of regional significance that will support jobs and create economic resiliency.

The infrastructure improvements at RSWRF not only allow the facility to support current and future business interests, including the proposed Reno Stead Airport Logistics and Manufacturing Park, but also commercial growth and business expansion planned in the nearby Reno-Sparks Indian Colony.

“This project will support business expansion, decrease the need to import water from outside the region, and lessen the likelihood that future flood events will impact local businesses,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development.

The City of Reno estimates that this investment will help create 167 jobs, save 48 jobs, and leverage $76,750,000 in private investment. The EDA grant was matched with $9.8 million in local fund.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center (www.tahoeprsperity.com) will facilitate the recovery and resiliency plan with local business, political, education, and community leaders, along with government jurisdictions, non-profit partners, and Tahoe’s residents, according to its CEO Heidi Hill Drum.

“Tahoe’s Transition – Economic Recovery to Resiliency will create an action plan with steps for the region to implement to diversify the regional economy, which has become dangerously dependent on the Tourism sector,” Hill Drum said in a recent press release. Since the Great Recession, the Tahoe Basin has transitioned from 42 percent reliance on the Tourism sector to 62 percent. Tahoe struggled to get back the 5,000 jobs lost in 2008 and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the region lost another 9,000 jobs, according to the Prosperity Center.

From public works projects that drive new opportunities and build infrastructure, to regional partnerships that foster a skilled workforce, WNDD is an important economic development partner for new businesses entering western Nevada’s business landscape and for fostering projects that create economic resilience.

Cornerstone to these efforts is the CEDS — a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process and document that successfully engages the region’s community leaders, private sector partners, and stakeholders in planning for the region’s future. Members submit applications to WNDD for the CEDS ranking process. After the careful review of the proposal by a member committee, the projects are ranked by a number of criteria including measurable regional economic benefits, measurable community benefits, fully-developed plan and strategy, and alignment with the CEDS goals and objectives, along with local and regional support.

These projects then become part of WNDD’s annual work plans which include the application for grant monies from the EDA or other applicable federal grant providers. The WNDD member agencies are in a greater position to attract federal funds and technical assistance by demonstrating resources are used efficiently and effectively reflected in the CEDS.

To date, WNDD has helped its members secure over $35 million grants or low-interest loans.

WNDD Economic Recovery Update – March 2021

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Profiles in Resiliency

Greetings Fellow Nevadans,

The March edition of the Western Nevada Development District’s Economic Recovery & Resiliency Update is hot off the press and ready to inform you on WNDD’s efforts to identify and develop strategies to create and build a more resilient economy in our region.

In it, you’ll find information about …
• Available grants
• Data and information regarding economic recovery
• Activities and progress of the WNDD region’s Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council
• Member success stories
• Information and registration links to the March 19th WNDD Webinar: Profiles in Resiliency
• And more!

We look forward to sharing new information with you each month!

Read the Update! 

Meet the Speakers: Profiles in Resiliency

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A Western Nevada Development District Webinar

Friday, March 19, 2021
9 am till 11 am

Presented by the WNDD Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council

To better understand the ability and notion of resilience in a world of community and individual crises, the Western Nevada Development District is pleased to present these experts who will share their experiences dealing with the floods of Hurricane Harvey, the devastating Tubbs Fire and the everyday reality of cyberattacks on our connected communities.

 

Jillian Donatto is lead staffer in administering programs in support of members of the Houston- Galveston Area Council and the Gulf Coast Economic Development District; leading design and execution of a 2-Year Action Plan for COVID-19-related economic recovery; support other programs across the Sustainable Development Portfolio ranging from regional conservation to transport.

 

 

 

 

Sean McGlynn was named Santa Rosa City Manager in 2014. He was previously a deputy city manager from El Paso, Texas overseeing a range of departments including aviation, planning and economic development. Last year, Mr. McGlynn was named City Manager of the Year by the California City Management Foundation for going “beyond the call of duty to lead and serve the community.”ation & land use planning.

 

 

 

 

Mark R. Schonberg (U.S. Army Colonel, Ret.) is President of TerraScale, a clean infrastructure design and development firm that is bringing Project Energos; a 3,700 acre mixed-use development near Fernley NV Reno, NV that aims to enable secure, swift storage and transmission of data between government agencies and commercial client. Schonberg has more than three decades of senior leadership in the United States Military in the IT services, Cyber Security and data center construction.

 

REGISTER TODAY!

 

 

 

Profiles in Resiliency

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A Western Nevada Development District Webinar

Join Us! Friday, March 19, 2021 at 9 am till 11 am

Presented by the WNDD Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council

One of the nation’s most devastating wildland fire events that turned into an urban inferno consuming 5,600 structures, and a hurricane which dumped enough water along the Gulf Coast to depress the earth’s crust, have become lessons in resiliency for the communities of Santa Rosa, CA and Houston, Texas.

In that same year, there was a quieter disaster as consumer credit reporting agency Equifax saw a massive breach to its web application that led to the loss of millions of records containing the social security numbers and birthdates 145.5 million people.

Join Santa Rosa City Manager Sean McGlynn, Jillian Donatto, Senior Planner of the Houston-Galveston Area Council and who will discuss the disaster events of 2017 that caused devastation and tremendous economic injury to their communities and how those recovery efforts are focused on future resiliency. They will be joined by U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Mark R. Schonberg, President of TerraScale, who will present the newest element in disaster recovery and resiliency, cybersecurity.

Discussions will include:

  • Crisis events and their impacts
  • Economic challenges resulting from the impacts
  • Recovery efforts
  • Keys to planning for future resiliency
  • Lessons learned – what would they do differently

Explore all Aspects of Recovery and Resiliency

Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm that hit Texas on August 25, 2017. It caused $125 billion in damage according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm dumped 1 trillion gallons of rain on Houston in four days, forcing 32,000 people out of their homes and into shelters There were 61 drinking water facilities that were inoperable and 203 boil-water notices in effect. Another 40 wastewater treatment facilities were inoperable.

 

 

 

 

 

The Tubbs Fire started the evening of Oct. 8, 2017 and burned a total of 36,807 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties — destroying 5,636 structures and resulting in the deaths of 22 civilians Much of the fire’s destruction was in Santa Rosa, particularly in the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove neighborhoods. The estimated cost of the fire’s destruction is between $7.8 to more than $10 billion.

 

 

 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights that we have entered the internet of all things, people and systems. Connectivity is essential for creating and sustaining economic growth and providing improved government services. This has also introduced enormous risks. Business and government agencies are increasingly a target for hackers and cybercrime, both globally and locally: SolarWinds, a major US information technology firm, was the subject of a cyberattack that spread to its clients and went undetected for months. In 2019, the Lyon County School District was the victim of a computer ransomware virus attack.

 

 

 

Register Today!

USDA Webinars to Share Latest Strategic Planning & Community Facility Grant Opportunities

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosting two webinars next month that will share the latest information on two grant programs; the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training (CF TAT) program and the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI).

CF TAT assists communities with awards of up to $150,000 to assist in identifying resources and planning for community facility needs.

RCDI grants are awarded to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community, entrepreneurship, and economic development projects in rural areas. Awards range from $50,000 to $250,000 and do require a local match.

The CF TAT and RCDI webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, 2021 and Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 2:00 EST, respectively.

Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant (CF TAT) Webinar

Tuesday, February 16, 2021
11:00 a.m. – Noon PST

CF TAT Webinar Registration!

Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Webinar

Thursday, February 18, 2021
11:00 a.m.- Noon PST

RCDI Webinar Registration!