Community Vitality and Rural Healthcare – Funding & Opportunities

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)
Program that allows local communities to engage teams of 8-12 AmeriCorps members to carry out service projects designed to strengthen local communities and meet critical needs in the areas of infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship/conservation, natural and other disasters, energy conservation, and urban and rural development.

Rural Business Development Grants
Supports targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas.

Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDL and REDG)
Loans and grants to assist in the economic development of rural areas, including funds for healthcare facilities and equipment, telecommunications networks, and job creation projects.

Business and Industry Loan Guarantees
Loan guarantees to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities.

Community Heart & Soul Planning, Technical Assistance, and Seed Grant Program
Community Heart & Soul is a community development process that engages residents in identifying what they love about their community, the future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Activities and objectives are determined by communities, and projects have included volunteerism, healthcare access, social programs, transportation, broadband, and emergency preparedness, among others. Seed grants are offered to qualifying small cities and towns interested in implementing the Heart & Soul model.

Economic Development Assistance Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs
Funding to support the implementation of regional economic development, including public works projects and job creation projects. Past projects have included funding for water and wastewater projects in hospitals and healthcare facilities and road infrastructure projects that would support the expansion of healthcare facilities. Rural, tribal, and other underserved communities are a program priority.

HUD Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance (DCTA) Program
Technical assistance to build capacity of local governments experiencing economic distress, specifically in smaller communities with populations under 50,000. Assistance will help local governments and their nonprofit partners in alleviating persistent poverty.

HUD Section 242: Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program
Loan and mortgage insurance program to help acute care hospital facilities with remodeling, expansion, modernization, equipment, refinancing, and acquisition. Critical Access Hospitals are eligible to apply.

Intermediary Relending Program (IRP)
Provides low interest loans to intermediaries that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create jobs in rural communities.

Opportunity Zone Economic Development Program
A program designed to encourage economic development and job creation in distressed communities through tax benefits. Investors may defer taxes on most capital gains up to Dec. 31, 2026 by making an eligible investment in an Opportunity Zone.