Financial Assistance Grants for Individuals (Alabama example)

Financial Assistance Grants for Individuals (Alabama example) is sponsored by 211 (referring to local partner agencies). 211 can connect individuals in eligible counties in Alabama and Georgia to financial assistance grants addressing urgent and unmet needs. Funding is intended for residents who are disabled, over 60, have low income, or are mentally or physically challenged.

## CON GRESSWOMAN TERRI A . SEW EL L – REPRESEN TI NG AL AB AMA ’S 7T H DI STRIC T Washington D. C.

Office | 2201 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, D. C. 20515 http://Sewell.

House. Gov | Phone: (202) 225 -2665 | Fax (202) 226 -9567 Welcome to the Guide to Grants ! I am honored to represent the 7th Congressional District of Alabama.

As your representative, it is my top priority to provide you with the resources we need to keep our community safe and thriving. I will work diligently to provide you with the most current information about funding opportunities. Grant opportunities are vital to the success of our communities, and this guide will identify federal, corporate, and foundation grant opportunities to assist you in goals for our communities.

This guide will include links to federal agencies and resources to help you make economic development, infrastructure, healthcare, and educational projects. Does your project need a Letter of Support? I am pleased to provide a Letter of Support for grant application projects in the 7 th Congressional District of Alabama .

To request a letter of support, please contact one of our offices. Please also continue to let us know when grants are awarded, especially if you found the opportunities in Section I: GENERAL GRANT INFORMATION ................................ ................................

......... 3 Section II: PROGRAM FUNDING THROUGH FEDERAL AGENCIES ................................ ....

4 Community Grant Resources (Water/Sewer, Community Facilities, Housing, and Business) ..... 4 National Endowment for the Arts ................................ ................................

................................ 6 National Endowment for the Humanities ................................ ................................

..................... 7 National Park Service ................................ ................................

................................ ................. 10 National Science Foundation ................................

................................ ................................ .....

11 U.S. Department of Agriculture ................................ ................................ ................................

. 13 U.S. Department of Commerce ................................ ................................

................................ .. 19 U.S. Department of Education ................................

................................ ................................ ...

22 U.S. Department of Energy ................................ ................................ ................................

........ 26 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ................................ ................................

....... 29 U.S. Department of Homeland Security ................................ ................................

..................... 34 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ................................ ..............................

37 U.S. Department of the Interior – Fish and Wildlife ................................ ................................ ..

39 U.S. Department of Labor ................................ ................................ ................................

.......... 42 U.S. Department of Transportation ................................ ................................

............................ 44 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ................................ ................................

......................... 45 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ................................ ................................

..................... 46 Institute of Museum and Library Services ................................ ................................

................. 47 Section III: PROGRAM FUNDING THROUGH PRIVATE, CORPORATE, & COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS ................................ ................................

................................ .......................... 48 Alabama State Council for the Arts ................................

................................ ........................... 48 Walmart Foundation ................................

................................ ................................ ...................

48 Regions Bank and Regions Foundation ................................ ................................ .....................

49 Clif Family Foundation ................................ ................................ ................................

.............. 49 GEICO Philanthropic Foundation ................................ ................................

.............................. 49 Alabama’s Top Giving Foundations ................................ ................................

.......................... 49 Section IV: RESOURCES ................................ ................................

................................ ............ 51 U.S. Small Business Administration ................................

................................ .......................... 51 The Alabama Association of Regional Councils ................................

................................ ....... 51 Community Foundations of Alabama ................................

................................ ........................ 53 3 # Section I: GENERAL GRANT INFORMATION • Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance - Guidance and key resources to help eligible constituents find information on federal grants, loans, and nonfinancial assistance for projects, as well as on private funding.

Prepared by the Congressional Research Service for Members of Congress, updated May 2014. Website: http://sewell. house.

gov/grant -information/ • A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants are not federal assistance or loans to individuals. A federal grant may not be used to acquire property or services for the federal government's direct benefi t.

The 26 federal agencies offer over 1,000 grant programs annually in various categories. Website: https://www. grants.

gov/applicants/grant -applications/how -to -apply -for -grants • Apply for federal grants here : https://www. grants. gov/applicants/ • To learn about foundation grant opportunities, please visit https://candid.

org/ . Candid, also known as The Foundation Center , is a gateway to information about private funding sources and provides guidelines about how to write a grant proposal. It also provides links to state libraries with grants reference collections and links to other useful Internet websites.

4 # Section II: PROGRAM FUNDING THROUGH FEDERAL # Community Grant Resources (Water/Sewer, Community Facilities, Alabama USDA Water and Environmental Programs Through Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Programs (WEP), rural communities obtain the technical assistance and financing necessary to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems.

Safe drinking water and sanitary waste disposal systems are vital not only to public health, but also to the economic vitality of rura l America.

Rural Development is a leader in helping rural America improve the quality of life and increase the economic opportunities for rural WEP provides funding for the construction of water and waste facilities in rural communities and is proud to be the only Federal program exclusively focused on rural water and waste infrastructure needs of rural communities with populations of 10,000 or le ss.

WEP also provides funding to organizations that provide technical assistance and training to rural communities in relation to their water and waste activities. WEP is administered through National Office staff in Washington, DC, and a network of field staff in each State. USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program in Alabama This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas.

An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings. Eligible borrowers include: public bodies , c ommunity -based non -profit corporations , and federally -recognized Tribes .

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include: 5 • Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted • Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements • Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or • Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment • Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools • Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment • Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, What kinds of funding are available?

• Low interest direct loans • A combination of the two above, as well as our loan guarantee program. These may be combined with commercial financing to finance one project if all eligibility and feasibility requirements are What are the funding priorities?

• Priority point system based on population, median household income o Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less o Low -income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.

• Contact your local office to discuss your specific project • Applications for this program are accepted year round • Program resources are available online (includes forms needed, guidance, certifications) • Request a Unique Entity ID number if your organization doesn’t already have one. It should not take more than a few business days to get your number.

• Register your organization with the System for Award Management (SAM) if you aren’t already registered. The registration is free, but you need to complete several steps.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -Alabama Assistance for Home Ownership, Rental Assistance, Home Repair, Home Owner Disability Assistance, Small Business Administration Assistance Assistance for small business Local Assistance – Alabama 211 6 # National Endowment for the Arts NEA Grants for Arts Projects 2, FY2025 National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is proud to support the nation’s arts sector with grant opportunities so that together we can help everyone live more artful lives.

The arts contribute to our individual well -being, the well -being of our communitie s, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for the future.

Grants for Arts Projects is our largest grants program for organizati ons, funding, the program supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies prom oting the health and well -being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.

We welcome applications from a variety of eligible organizations, including first -time applicants; from organiza tions serving rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities of all sizes; and from organizations with small, medium, or large operating budgets. An organization may submit only one application under these FY2025 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines.

If an organization applies to the Challenge America category, it may not also apply to the Grants for Arts Projects category. The National Endowment for the Arts’ support of a project may start on or after June 1, 2024. Generally, a period of performance of up t o two National Endowment for the Arts Our Town is the National Endowment for the Arts’ creative placemaking grants program.

Through project -based funding, we support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities over the long term.

Succes sful Our Town projects demonstrate a specific role for arts, culture, and design as part of strategies for strengthening local communities, ultimately centering equity and laying the groundwork for long -term systems change tailored to community needs and opportunities. All applications are submitted by one organization and require one partner organization.

The applicant/partner pair must include 1) a nonprofit organization and 2) a local government or quasi - government entity. Cost share/matching grants rang e from $25,000 to $150,000, with a minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount. The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on July 1, 2025, or any time thereafter.

A grant period of up to two years is allowed. 7 # National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Projects for the Public National Endowment for the Humanities The Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtua l environments.

Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations National Endowment for the Humanities Small and mid -sized cultural organizations are keepers of history and culture, sources of lifelong learning, and community place makers. Public Impact Projects grants seek to assist you in meeting your community’s needs by expanding the scope, reach, and e xcellence of your public programs.

These awards support a variety of activities that focus on enriching interpretive strategies, strengthening interpretive skill sets or enhancing community engagement with public -facing programs. This program aims to meet small and mid -sized organizations where you are by supporting projects that are appropriate in scope and content to each organization’s resources and community needs.

The key questions this program asks you to consider are: What are your organization’s interpretive humanities needs or programmatic goals? How would meeting these needs or goals benefit public audiences?

Digital Humanities Advancement Grants National Endowment for the Humanities The Digital Humanities Advancement Grants program (DHAG) supports innovative, experimental, and/or computationally challenging digital projects, leading to work that can scale to enhance scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanitie s.

The DHAG program supports projects at different phases of their lifecycles that respond to one or more of these programmatic priorities: • research and refinement of innovative, experimental, or computationally challenging methods • enhancement or design of digital infrastructure that contributes to and supports the humanities, such as open -source code, tools, or platforms • evaluative studies that investigate the practices and the impact of digital scholarship on research, pedagogy, scholarly communication, and public engagement 8 Humanities Collections and Reference Resources National Endowment for the Humanities HCRR advances scholarship, education, and public engagement in the humanities by helping libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country steward important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects.

The program strengthens efforts to make the content of such materials accessible through digitization and description.

Awards also support the creatio n of reference resources that facilitate the use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in -depth Graduate Education in the Humanities: A National Convening National Endowment for the Humanities Graduate Education in the Humanities: A National Convening will support the design, development, and implementation of a national convening on the state of, and prospects for, higher education in the humanities.

Under the direction of a steering committee and related working groups, the national convening will provide participants the opportunity to explore current challenges and share best practices; offer guidance for graduate programs, departments, and other interested stakeholders; and help develop a st rategic vision for graduate education in the humanities.

In addition, the recipient will publish and disseminate a report based on the findings of the steering committee, working groups, and national > 20240814 -BP -BR -GE -GG -GI > Public Humanities Projects > National Endowment for the Humanities Deadline: August 14, 2024 The Public Humanities Projects program supports projects that bring the ideas of the humanities to life for general audiences through public programming.

Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as hist ory, literature, ethics, and art history. Awards support projects that are intended to reach broad and diverse public audiences in non -classroom settings in the United States. Projects should engage with ideas that are accessible to the general public and employ appealing interpretive formats.

9 National Endowment for the Humanities Anticipated Deadline: September 5, 2024 The Humanities Connections program seeks to expand the role of the humanities in undergraduate education at two - and four -year institutions by encouraging partnerships between humanities faculty and their counterparts in other areas of study.

Awards suppor t the planning or implementation of curricular projects connecting the humanities to the physical and natural sciences; pre -service or professional programs, including law and business; computer science, data science, and other technology -driven fields; or other non -humanities departments or schools.

Dialogues on the Experience of War National Endowment for the Humanities Anticipated Deadline: September 5, 2024 The Dialogues on the Experience of War program supports the study and discussion of humanities sources that address the experiences of military service and war from a wide variety of perspectives.

In recognition of the importance of the humanities in helping Americans to understand the meaning and experiences of military service and war, Dialogues projects encourage veterans and nonveterans to reflect collectively on such topics as civic engagement, veteran identity, the legacies of war, service, and homecoming. Project teams s hould include humanities scholars, military veterans, and individuals with relevant experience.

Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities National Endowment for the Humanities Deadline: September 12, 2024 The Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities (DOT) program supports research that examines technology and its relationship to society through the lens of the humanities, with a focus on the dangers and/or opportunities pres ented by technology.

NEH is particularly interested in projects that examine the role of technology in shaping current social and cultural issues. The DOT program is part of the NEH’s American Tapestry initiative . The program supports projects led by individual researchers (up to $75K) and by collaborative teams (up to $150K).

10 Climate Smart Humanities Organizations National Endowment for the Humanities Anticipated Deadline: September 12, 2024 As energy costs rise and natural disasters become more frequent, humanities organizations - such as museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, and colleges and universities - face an enormous task: to anticipate operational, physical, and financial impa cts of climate -related events on their institutions, while also reducing their own impact on the environment.

Climate Smart Humanities Organizations supports these efforts by offering federal matching funds for comprehensive organizational assessments that lead to strategic climate action and adaptation plans.

Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education National Endowment for the Humanities Deadline: October 1, 2024 The Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education program supports the exploration and development of small projects that would benefit underserved populations through the teaching and study of the humanities at small and medium -sized colleges and universiti es.

The program supports activities including but not limited to curricular or program development, expert consultations, speakers’ series, student research, creation of teaching resources, and community engagement. Projects may benefit students, faculty, the institution or organization, and/or the community.

Historic Preservation Training Center Facility Management and Historic Preservation Emerging Department of the Interior The program objective is to support and stimulate preservation trades and project work on NPS cultural resources through hosting preapprentice -style and preprofessional experiences for emerging professionals in the fields of facility management and cultural resource restoration and rehabilitation.

Specifically, the program focuses on engaging existing students and graduates of trade schools focused on historic preservation skills and knowledge (such as those l isted on The Campaign for Historic Trades website) or other facility relevant trades and fields ( e.g. water/wastewater management, engineering, architecture, project management, etc.) and degree programs applicable to public land facility management who are looking for opportunities to apply their education to real -life projects.

The program will prom ote greater public and private participation in historic preservation and facility programs and activities while simultaneously building resource stewardship ethics in its participants.

11 Military Families Outdoors Program Department of the Interior The National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Defense -Defense Health Agency (DoDDHA) have a partnership focused on promoting the health and wellness of Active Duty Service Members and their families through positive engagement experiences with nati onal parks, public lands, and waterways.

These experiences will promote healthy lifestyle habits and inspire families to become environmental stewards of national parks and other public lands and waterways. Nature -based health promotion activities should include a focus on education, recreation, outdoor skills -building, or outdoor conservation projects.

The total menu of program opportunities offered should work together to build confidence in participants to engage with national parks, public lands, and wa terways throughout their Cultural Resources Management Services Department of the Interior The National Park Service, following its Management Policies (2006) seeks to work with partners to collaboratively conduct a variety of activities, including, but not limited to the named studies outlined in NPS -28: Cultural Resource Management Guideline # National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) National Science Foundation The LSAMP program invests in the Nation's colleges and universities to aid student success to create a new generation of STEM discoverers for the national STEM enterprise.

LSAMP is an alliance -based program, whereby a group of institutions of higher educat ion (IHEs) work together to diversify the nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to persons from LSAMP populations.

The LSAMP program provides funding to alliances that implement comprehensive, evidence -based, innovative, and sustained strategies that ultimately result in the graduation of well -prepared, highly competitive students from LSAMP populations who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM, while also supporting knowledge generation, knowledge utilization, assessment of program impacts, dissemination activities and dissemination of scholarly research into the field.

12 IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments National Science Foundation Deadline: September 10, 2024 Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (hereinafter referred to as RED) is designed to build upon previous efforts in engineering education research.

Specifically, previous and ongoing evaluations of the NSF Engineering Education and Centers Division prog ram and its predecessors, as well as those related programs in the Directorate for STEM Education, have shown that prior investments have significantly improved the first year of engineering students’ experiences, incorporating engineering material, active professional practice – giving students an idea of what it means to become an engineer.

Similarly, the senior year has seen notable change through caps tone design experiences, which ask students to synthesize the technical knowledge, skills, and abilities they have gained with professional capacities, using reflective judgment to make decisions and communicate these effectively.

However, this ideal of th e senior year has not yet been fully realized, because many of the competencies required in capstone design, or required of professional engineers, are only partially introduced in the first year and not carried forward with significant emphasis through th e sophomore and junior years.

The Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and STEM Education (EDU) are funding projects as part of the RED program, in alignment with the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) framework and Professional Formation of Engin eers (PFE) initiative.

These projects are designing revolutionary new approaches to engineering education, ranging from changing the canon of engineering to fundamentally altering the way courses are structured to creating new departmental structures and e ducational collaborations with National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Institutional Partnership National Science Foundation The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research -based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of science, technology, e ngineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.

This solicitation describes a pilot for a potential new track for the existing NRT Program that will support research and education projects that will result in a new master’s degree, certificate, or a track within an existing master’s or Ph. D. program with high industry relevance in at least one focus area identified in this pilot.

This will be accomplished through an effective partnership among: (a) a non -R1 Institution of Higher Education (IHE) (lead institution), (b) an non -lead IHE (an R1 or non -R1) that has either an ongoing or completed NRT program in at least one of the focus areas define d for this pilot (see below), and (c) two to three industry partners in the same focus area(s).

The overall purpose is to train the STEM workforce in focus areas specified in this solicitation by stimulating collaborations among non -R1 institutions, instit utions with existing or completed NRT projects, and industry partners.

13 ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions National Science Foundation Deadline: October 3, 2024 The NSF ADVANCE program contributes to the National Science Foundation's goal of a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce.

In this solicitation, the NSF ADVANCE program seeks to build on prior NSF ADVANCE work and other research and literature concerning gender, racial, and ethnic equity.

The NSF ADVANCE program goal is to broaden the implementation of evidence -based systemic change s trategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the Racial Equity in STEM Education National Science Foundation Deadline: October 8, 2024 In ongoing efforts to address these disparities, NSF EHR seeks to support bold, groundbreaking, and potentially transformative projects that contribute to advancing racial equity in STEM education and workforce development through practice and/or fundamental or applied research.

# U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Cooperative Development Grant Department of Agriculture Rural Business -Cooperative Service The primary objective of the RCDG program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas by assisting individuals or entities in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other business entities.

Grants are awarded competitively on an annual basis to Rural Cooperative Development Centers who in turn provide technical assistance to individuals and entities. Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) Department of Agriculture Rural Business -Cooperative Service The Rural Business -Cooperative Service announces the availability of $3,000,000 in competitive grant funds for the FY 2024 SDGG program.

The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to Socially -Disadvantaged Groups in rural areas. Eligibl e applicants include Cooperatives, Groups of Cooperatives, and Cooperative Development Centers.

14 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Sustainable Agricultural Systems Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Applications to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) Request for Applications (RFA) must focus on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system.

NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach for projects are expected to significantly improve the su pply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. These approaches must demonstrate current needs and anticipate future social, cultural, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts.

Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed should result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for all those involved in food and agricultural value ch ains from production to utilization and consumption. See AFRI SAS RFA for details.

USDA -APHIS -10025 -VSSPRS00 -24 -0007 Farmed Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2024 Cooperative Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The overall objectives of the funding opportunity are to control, manage, and/or prevent CWD in farmed cervids.

Through this funding opportunity, APHIS VS is soliciting collaborators who will further develop and implement farmed cervid CWD surveillance, testing, management, and response activities. Proposals can include the use of funds for the indem nification and removal of CWD -affected farmed cervid herds and CWD -exposed cervids as part of an overall CWD management plan in accordance with 9 CFR Part 55. 2.

Funds may also be provided for applied research7 to further develop and evaluate tools, techniq ues, and strategies for identifying, preventing, and controlling CWD in farmed cervids.

USDA -APHIS -10028 -WSNWRC00 -24 -0004 Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2024 Cooperative Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service In this 2024 announcement, APHIS WS will make around $5,500,000 in cooperative agreement funding to control and prevent chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild cervids, including the development and/or implementation of CWD surveillance, testing, management, and response activities.

The amount available will be based on the FY24 Congressional appropriations language and directions.

15 USDA -FNS -SNAP -PTIG -2024 FY 2024 SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grant Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service The Process and Technology Improvement Grant (PTIG) program supports efforts by state agencies and their community -based and faith -based partners to develop and implement projects that use technology to improve the quality and efficiency of SNAP applicatio n and eligibility determination systems.

The FY 2024 Request for Applications (RFA) is available on Grants. gov . Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program Department of Agriculture Grant funds may be used to help a nonprofit create a revolving loan fund for eligible individuals who own and occupy a home in an eligible rural area.

The fund may be used to construct, refurbish, or service individually owned household water well and septic systems. Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Department of Agriculture Rural Business -Cooperative Service The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations.

USDA provides zero -interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. The ultimate recipients repay the lending utility directly. The utility then is responsible for repayment to USDA.

USDA provides grants to local utility organizations which use the funding to establish Revolving Loan Funds (RLF). Loans are made from the revolving loan funds to projects that will create or retain rural jobs. When the revolving loan fund is terminated, the grant is repaid to USDA.

The Agency anticipates the following maximum a mounts per award: Loans - $2,000,000; Grants - USDA -NRCS -NHQ -RCPP -24 -NOFO0001354 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2024 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service The RCPP promotes the coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value - added contributions to expand our ability to address on -farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns.

Through the RCPP, NRCS seeks to co -invest with partners to implement projects that provide solutions to conservation challenges thereby measurably im proving the resource concerns they seek to address. RCPP promotes collaboration with partners, stakeholders, and various communities, which is paramount to achieving equity in NRCS programs and services.

Partners propose projects that generate conservation benefits by addressing specific natural resource concerns in a state or multistate area by addressing one or more priority resource concerns within an NRCS -designated critical conservation area (CCA). NRCS and partners collaborate to design, promote, and implement RCPP projects on agricultural and nonindustrial private forest land.

Through RCPP, NRCS may provide both financial assistance (FA) and technical assistance (TA) funds to project partners and agricultural producers for implementing projects. RCPP proposals are evaluated through a competitive proposal process based on three criteria: impact, partner contributions, and partnership and management.

Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers (2501 Department of Agriculture Office of Partnerships and Public Engagements The overall goal of the 2501 Program is to encourage and assist underserved farmers and ranchers, military veteran farmers and ranchers, and beginning farmers and ranchers with owning and operating farms and ranches and in participating equitably in the full range of agricultural, forestry, and rel ated programs offered by USDA.

It also includes projects that develop underserved youths' interest in agriculture. In partnership with the OPPE, eligible entities may compete for funding on projects that provide education and training in agriculture, agrib usiness, forestry, agricultural -related services, and USDA