Community Connect Grant Program | RDRUS CC 2021

Opportunity Information: Apply for RDRUS CC 2021

The Community Connect Grant Program is a competitive (discretionary) USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) grant opportunity designed to bring new broadband service to rural, economically distressed communities that currently lack broadband. The central goal is to fund projects that can deliver broadband at or above the required "Broadband Grant Speed" to every premise in the proposed funded service area, focusing on places where broadband does not exist. The program frames broadband deployment as "community-oriented connectivity," meaning the investment is intended to do more than extend internet lines; it is meant to act as a catalyst for local economic growth and to expand access to essential services like education and health care in rural America. RUS indicates it will prioritize proposed service areas showing the greatest need, using criteria laid out in the program materials and regulations.

This opportunity is administered under the Department of Agriculture, Utilities Programs, and is tied to the program regulations at 7 CFR part 1739. It also reflects a terminology update made by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334), which renamed "Critical Community Facilities" to "Essential Community Facilities" without changing the underlying meaning. In practice, that matters for how applicants describe and justify community benefits and anchor institutions supported by the proposed network.

Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of public, nonprofit, and private entities: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits). The wide eligibility is intended to let communities pursue the best-fit applicant model, whether that is a local government, a cooperative-like entity, a nonprofit, or a private provider partnering with community stakeholders.

Funding specifics in the notice indicate an award ceiling of up to $3,000,000 per award, with an expectation of roughly 20 awards in the cycle referenced. The posted opportunity identifiers are Funding Opportunity Number RDRUS CC 2021 and CFDA 10.863, with activity categories that include business and commerce, community development, and regional development. The original application window listed in the notice opened around September 24, 2020 and closed December 23, 2020, which is useful for historical reference and for understanding typical timelines, even if applicants should confirm current cycles on the program website.

Applicants are directed to closely follow the FY 2019 Community Connect Grant Program Application Guide and related resources available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/community-connect. The notice emphasizes that costs incurred to develop an application are the applicant's responsibility and are undertaken at the applicant's own risk, which is a standard caution for competitive federal grants.

Finally, USDA encourages applicants to align proposals with broader rural prosperity goals and to design projects that produce measurable outcomes for rural communities. The notice points to the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity) and highlights strategic themes the agency cares about when evaluating impact, including expanding rural e-connectivity, strengthening rural economies, leveraging technological innovation, supporting workforce development, and improving overall quality of life. In short, the program is not only about building broadband infrastructure in unserved rural areas, but also about demonstrating clear, community-level benefits that can be sustained over time.

• The Department of Agriculture, Utilities Programs in the business and commerce, community development, regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Connect Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.863.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 24, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 23, 2020. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 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), 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, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for RDRUS CC 2021

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