Five for Friday: March 31, 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 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
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
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
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
