USDA Funding Program

Helping the people of rural America develop sustainable communities and improve their quality of life is the goal of USDA's Rural Development mission area. We believe rural Americans have a right to the same quality of life as is enjoyed by people who live in suburban and urban areas.

Rural Development is working to eliminate substandard housing from rural America by helping rural people buy, build or rent decent housing. We also create jobs by funding the growth and creation of rural businesses and cooperatives. In a typical year, Rural Development programs create or preserve more than 150,000 rural jobs, enable 40,000 to 50,000 rural Americans to buy homes and help 450,000 low-income rural people rent apartments or other housing.

Other Rural Development programs help rural communities build or improve community facilities, such as schools, health clinics and fire stations. We also have programs that help rural communities build or extend utilities, including water, electricity and telecommunications services.

Our assistance is provided in many ways, including direct or guaranteed loans, grants, technical assistance, research and educational materials. To accomplish our mission, USDA Rural Development often works in partnership with state, local and tribal governments, as well as rural businesses, cooperatives and nonprofit agencies.

Rural Development programs are delivered through our three agencies: the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), which addresses rural America's need for basic services such as clean running water, sewers and waste disposal, electricity, and telecommunications; the Rural Housing Service (RHS), which addresses rural America's need for single-family and multi-family housing as well as health facilities, fire and police stations, and other community facilities, and; the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), which provides help to rural areas that need to develop new job opportunities, allowing businesses and cooperatives to remain viable in a changing economy. We also have an Office of Community Development that operates special initiatives to demonstrate effective community development techniques and address unique and pressing economic development issues.

ND Rural Development Web Site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/nd/index.html

Community Development Programs

The Office of Community Development administers USDA Rural Development's Rural Community Development Programs. Each program and initiative promotes self-sustaining, long-term economic and community development in rural areas. The programs demonstrate how every rural community can achieve self-sufficiency through innovative and comprehensive strategic plans developed and implemented at a grassroots level. The programs stress continued local involvement and decision making which is supported by partnerships among private, public and nonprofit entities. Please contact us for further information on the range of USDA's rural and community development programs or to jump start your local community development projects!

For information on each specific program and initiative follow the respective link below:

Background on Rural Empowerment

- Champion Communities
- Colleges/Universities
- Community Advancement
- Information Technology
- REAP Zones
- Rural Empowerment
- Technical Assistance