Deadline: 28-Jun-24
The Rural Housing Service (RHS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the acceptance of applications under the Puerto Rico Rural Partners Network (RPN) Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program to provide authorized activities in Puerto Rico areas affected by a disaster declared by the President or the Secretary of Agriculture.
These grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development that will support the community.
The program is designed to assist qualified private organizations, nonprofit organizations, and public (including tribal) intermediary organizations located in Puerto Rico, proposing to carry out financial and technical assistance programs to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas of Puerto Rico where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was made under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 5121 et seq.) (Stafford Act). This program requires the intermediary (Grantee) to provide a program of financial and technical assistance to recipients. The recipients will, in turn, provide programs to their communities (beneficiaries).
Awards made under this NOFA will help rural communities and nonprofits to build capacity and technical assistance for readiness for more competitive funding applications and successful project completion. The aim is to support rural communities and nonprofit organizations in Puerto Rico’s Rural Partners Community Networks to access federal funding to address community and economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued.
Funding Information
- Available Funds: A total of $1,000,000 will be made available to intermediaries proposing to serve areas in Puerto Rico affected by a disaster declared by the President.
- Award Amounts: Grant funds are limited and are awarded through a competitive process. The maximum grant award amount available to an intermediary is $250,000.
- Performance Period: Grant funds must be utilized within three years from the date of the award.
- Anticipated Award Date: August 15, 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must meet all the following eligibility requirements by the application deadline. Applications that fail to meet any of these requirements by the application deadline will be deemed ineligible, will not be evaluated further, and will not receive a federal award under this funding opportunity:
- Qualified private organizations, nonprofit organizations (including faithbased organizations in accordance with 7 CFR part 16, community organizations and philanthropic foundations), and public (including Tribal) intermediary organizations are eligible applicants.
- The recipient must be a nonprofit community-based housing and development organization, a low-income rural community, municipality, or a federally recognized tribe within the selected fifteen (15) communities in the geographical of the Puerto Rico RPN. There are no federally recognized tribes nor TDHEs in Puerto Rico.
- Private nonprofit, faith, or community-based organizations must provide a certificate of incorporation and a certificate of good standing from the Secretary of State of the State of incorporation, or other similar and valid documentation of current nonprofit status. For low-income rural community recipients, the Agency requires evidence that the entity is a public body and census data verifying that the median household income of the community where the office receiving the financial and technical assistance is located is at, or below, 80 percent of the State ($21,967) or national median household income ($69,021), whichever is higher, and provide evidence documenting that the recipient is located within Puerto Rico RPN Community Networks.
- Grant funds will be disbursed pursuant to relevant provisions of 2 CFR parts 200 and 400.
- Grant funds will be disbursed on an advance or reimbursement basis.
- Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and will be awarded from funds appropriated for the Puerto Rico RPN RCDI program.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.