Latest News
All the news that is relevant for the WNDD Region
$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
$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
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.
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.
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
Register for Upcoming REAP Webinars!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has announced two virtual events that will provide updates on funding available under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers can also apply for new energy-efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.
Eligible borrowers include rural small businesses and agricultural producers. Businesses must be in rural areas with populations of 50,000 or fewer. Agricultural producers can be in rural or nonrural areas.
The webinars will be held over Zoom and will be led by USDA staff.
Upcoming Webinars
IRA REAP Stakeholder Call: March 31, 2023, at 11:30 AM PT
IRA REAP Training Webinar: April 4, 2023, at 11:30 AM PT
Webinar Registration: March 31, 2023
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