Rural Community Development Initiative Grants — USDA Rural Development funding opportunity
USDA Rural Development · Federal agency

Rural Community Development Initiative Grants

This program awards grants to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community and economic...

75
match
Award $50k–$500k Deadline Rolling Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Open
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details).
  • Funding amount: $50,000 – $500,000.
  • Deadline: Rolling — applications accepted any time.
  • Catch: Match funding required — you must contribute your own money on top of the award.
  • Issued by: USDA Rural Development.
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How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Who can apply — at a glance

  • Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
  • Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
  • Award: $50k–$500k.
  • Matching funds: required.
  • Deadline type: Rolling.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

USDA Rural Development is a federal-level funder.

See all 32 open programs from this agency →

Award amount
$50k–$500k
Deadline
Rolling
Match required
Yes

About this opportunity

This program awards grants to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Rural Community Development Initiative Grants Application Window: Closed Program Application Period: Applications will be accepted after the publication of a funding notice. Good to Know: To begin, contact a program official in your state (see contact tab below) to review the requirements for completing an application. The preparation process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the complexity of the application and the completeness of the materials provided. For state specific information: -- Select State -- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Rhode Island Delaware and Maryland Florida and Virgin Islands Georgia Hawaii and Western Pacific Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont and New Hampshire Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Fact Sheet Federal Register Notice Grants.gov Posting Overview To Apply Other Requirements Contact Events Overview What does this program do? Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) grants are awarded to qualified organizations to provide a program of technical assistance to develop the expertise and ability of private, nonprofit community-based housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities, and/or federally recognized Indian Tribes (Recipients) to undertake projects to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Who may apply for this program? Public bodies Non-profit organizations Qualified private (for-profit) organizations Federally recognized Tribes What is an eligible area? Any area other than a city or town with a population greater than 50,000, and the area adjacent to such a city or town. How can funds be used? To improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Rural Community Development Initiative grants may be used for, but are not limited to: Training recipients to conduct : Homeownership education Business entrepreneur education Providing technical assistance to recipients on : Strategic plan development Finding alternative funding sources Board training Creating training tools, such as reference guides What kind of funding is available? Minimum grant award is $50,000; maximum grant award is $500,000 Grant funds are limited and are awarded through a competitive process Are matching funds required? Matching fund requirement equal to amount of grant In-kind contributions cannot be used as matching funds Partnerships with other and nonprofit entities are encouraged How do we get started? Applications are accepted on an annual basis through a Notice of Funding Opportunity  (NOFO) in the Federal Register Program Resources are available online (includes forms etc.) Who can answer questions? Contact your local Rural Development office . What governs this program? Code of Federal Regulation -  2 CFR 200 and guidelines announced in NOFO. NOTE: Because citations and other information may be subject to change please always consult the program Instructions listed in the section above titled "What Law Governs this Program?" You may also contact your local Rural Development office for assistance. To Apply NOTE : If state specific forms are not shown above, please refer to the application materials listed in the Notice of Funding

Funding agency

USDA Rural Development
Federal agency

Tags

Agriculture & Farming Healthcare & Biotech Nonprofit & Community Small Business Education & Research Construction & Housing Tribal & Native Rural Development Transportation & Logistics Housing & Homelessness rural rural-development
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Who can apply

Eligibility details aren't on file yet — check the agency source link in the Documents tab for the latest rules.

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia
Match contribution required

Applicants must contribute a portion of the project cost from non-federal sources. Confirm exact match rules with the agency before applying.

How to apply

We don't have application instructions on file yet — head straight to the official source.

Apply on agency site
Tip from our team:

Read the agency's eligibility checklist before you start — it's almost always shorter than the full NOFO and will tell you in 90 seconds whether to keep going.

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Source documents

View on agency site
Canonical NOFO, application packet, and forms
No supplemental documents yet.

Direct downloads (NOFO PDFs, application forms, FAQs) will appear here once our team attaches them. For now, the agency site has the canonical packet.

Citation details

Source systemusda-rd
Source IDrural-community-development-initiative-grants

Frequently asked questions

No FAQs yet.

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