Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant | USDA RD CFTAT 2019

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA RD CFTAT 2019

The Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training (CFTAT) Grant is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically through Rural Development Utilities Programs, designed to strengthen local capacity to plan for and pursue essential community facilities. Rather than paying directly for construction or equipment, the program focuses on funding technical assistance and training that help communities and local organizations understand what facilities they need, how to prepare for them, and how to line up the financing and support required to make those projects happen.

Under this opportunity, USDA makes grants to public bodies and private nonprofit corporations so they can deliver technical assistance and/or training related to essential community facilities programs. The intent is to help communities, Indian Tribes, and nonprofit corporations identify and plan for critical facility needs in their service areas. Examples of “community facility needs” typically include facilities that support public health and safety and everyday quality of life, such as health clinics, hospitals, fire and rescue stations, public safety buildings, community centers, childcare facilities, and similar essential local infrastructure. The grant supports the upfront work that often blocks rural and underserved places from moving projects forward, such as needs assessments, early-stage planning, coordination, and guidance on how to navigate funding options.

A key feature of the program is that once needs are identified, the grantee is expected to help communities identify public and private resources to finance those needs. In practice, that can mean helping local groups understand potential funding stacks and match sources such as federal and state programs, local funding mechanisms, philanthropic support, and private financing tools. The overall goal is to create a pipeline of well-defined, well-prepared community facility projects that are positioned to compete successfully for capital funding from other sources, including USDA’s own community facilities programs.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of governmental entities and nonprofits. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status; nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education); and private institutions of higher education. This range allows regional or statewide associations, nonprofit intermediaries, tribal entities, and public institutions to serve as technical-assistance providers for multiple communities.

From the provided opportunity details, the funding opportunity title is “Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant” (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA RD CFTAT 2019). It is categorized as a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) under the agriculture and community development activity area, with CFDA number 10.766. The posting lists an award ceiling of $150,000, with an estimated 15 awards expected. The opportunity was created on April 1, 2019, and the original closing date listed is June 17, 2019.

• The Department of Agriculture, Utilities Programs in the agriculture, community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.766.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 01, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 17, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA RD CFTAT 2019

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: