Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by the applicable application deadline for the applicable underlying program listed in the Summary section.

Prior to submission of the application, applicants are encouraged to contact the appropriate rural development state office listed online at www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices to review the proposed strategic community investment plan.

In general, applications must be submitted to the appropriate rural development state office listed online at www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices that serves the area where the project is located. Water and Waste Loans and Grant Program applicants must submit applications online at rdapply.sc.egov.usda.gov. For applicants that have been assigned a OneRD Loan Guarantee Initiative customer relationship manager (CRM), applications must be submitted to their assigned CRM. Additional information regarding the OneRD Loan Guarantee Initiative can be found online at www.rd.usda.gov/onerdguarantee.

Applications must include:

• RD 1980-88 Form:
  • Applicant information
  • Strategic community investment plan information
  • Project information
  • Scoring information for Section 6401
  • Agency coordination
  • Certification of documentation and acceptance
• Attachments:
  • Table of contents
  • Letter from the appropriate entities with jurisdiction over the strategic community investment plan
  • Plan objectives
  • Previous program applications

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

An optional webinar is scheduled for this program as follows:

March 12, 2024
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: zoomgov.com

A recording of the webinar can be viewed online at www.youtube.com.

Applicants that submit an RD 1980-88 Form will be awarded additional priority points, as follows:

• Objectives of the plan (10 points)
• Characteristics of a plan (10 points)

Refer to the NOFA, ProgramRule, and Application files for additional application information.

Match Notes:

There are no stated matching requirements for this program; however, indication of whether the proposed strategic community investment plan demonstrates an understanding of the applicable regional asset resources and includes leveraging of those resources, including cultural resources, natural resources, human resources, infrastructure, and financial resources, will be considered during the application evaluation process for the applicable underlying program listed in the Summary section.

All matching requirements for the applicable underlying program listed in the Summary section will remain applicable.

Funding Notes:

Rather than providing monetary awards, this program awards priority points to projects that support the implementation of strategic community investment plans on a multijurisdictional and multisectoral basis that will be considered during the application evaluation process for the programs listed below. Applicants awarded priority points will be considered for set-aside funding in the form of guaranteed loans, direct loans, or grants under the applicable underlying program. The amount of set-aside funding available will vary based on the percentage of funds being reserved for SECD funding under each eligible program, as follows:

• Community Facility Loans: 10 percent of total funding available under this program will be set aside for SECD funding
• Community Facilities Grants, known in eCivis Grants Network as US1977: 5 percent of total funding available under this program will be set aside for SECD funding
• Community Facilities Guaranteed Loans, known as US1978: 5 percent of total funding available under this program will be set aside for SECD funding
• Water and Waste Disposal Programs Guaranteed Loans: 10 percent of total funding available under this program will be set aside for SECD funding
• Water and Waste Loans and Grants, known as US0485: 5 percent of total funding available for loans under this program will be set aside for SECD funding, and 3 percent of total funding available for grants under this program will be set aside for SECD funding
• Rural Business Development Grants, known as US15723: 5 percent of total funding available for grants under this program will be set aside for SECD funding

Awards for SECD set-aside funding will be obligated by June 30, 2024.

Applicants may not use any awarded program funds for additional expenses incurred in preparing and submitting applications for this program.

April 12, 2024
A recording of the webinar for this program has been released, and a link to the presentation is available in the Application section.

February 28, 2024
Information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.