ReConnect offers grants, loan-grant combinations, and low-interest loans for broadband infrastructure to connect rural families, businesses, farms, ranches, schools, libraries, and public safety facilities to modern, high-speed internet. ReConnect funds can be used to construct, improve, and acquire facilities that provide internet services to customers’ premises, with reliable technologies that are suitable for rural community high-speed internet use.

The Rural Business Development Grant program provides funding designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 new employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues. Programmatic activities are separated into enterprise or opportunity type grant activities.

RCDI grants are awarded 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.

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 is responsible for repayment to USDA.

The Infrastructure Program provides financing for the construction, maintenance, improvement and expansion of telephone service and broadband in rural areas.

EDA has published a new Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (PWEAA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

The FY23 PWEAA NOFO outlines application submission requirements and review procedures for applications received under EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) programs.

The Public Works program provides resources to meet the construction and/or infrastructure design needs of communities to enable them to become more economically competitive.

Supported activities under EDA’s EAA program include construction and non-construction such as construction or upgrading of public infrastructure, sectoral partnerships for workforce training, design and engineering, technical assistance, economic recovery strategies, and capitalization or re-capitalization of Revolving Loan Funds (RLF).

This program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

This program supports activities to enhance the quality of adult education and literacy programs nationwide. Priorities include technical assistance to states, accountability and data quality, demonstrations or models of what works, dissemination on innovations and best practices, expanding access to services, and research and evaluation.

The Adult Education and Family Literacy State Grant program provides grants to eligible agencies to provide adult education and literacy services. These grants help adults (1) become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency; (2) obtain the education and skills that are necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children and lead to sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family; and (3) attain a secondary school diploma and transition to postsecondary education and training, including through career pathways. These grants also assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners in improving their reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills in English and mathematics and in acquiring an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship.

This program provides grants and related to assistance to eligible Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions of higher education to enable such institutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.