Rural

Build Rural Broadband with USDA ReConnect Grants and Loans: How to Prepare for Funding Up to $50M

Rural broadband funding is the closest thing infrastructure folks have to a summer blockbuster: big budgets, big stakes, big deadlines, and a whole cast of characters who suddenly appear the minute a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) drops.

Amount: Category-specific by NOFO; recent round structures included up to $50M loans and up to $25M grants depending on product Deadline: Feb 16, 2026 Location: United States

USDA Community Facilities Loan & Grant: Funding for Rural Infrastructure

Low-interest loans and grants that help rural communities build and improve essential facilities such as clinics, public safety buildings, and childcare centers.

Type: Loan Amount: Up to 100% of Project Cost (Loan) + Grants (up to 75% for poorest areas) Deadline: Rolling (Year-Round) Location: United States

USDA REAP Clean Energy Grants and Loans 2025: How Rural Businesses Can Secure Up to 1 Million Dollars

If you run a farm or a rural small business and your utility bills make you wince every month, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is not a nice-to-have. It is the program.

Amount: Grants up to $1 million, loan guarantees up to $25 million Deadline: Quarterly windows through 2025 Location: United States

USDA Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG)

USDA Rural Development grant program supporting rural business opportunity and enterprise projects through eligible public and nonprofit applicants.

Type: Grant Amount: Award amounts vary by project type, state office priorities, and annual funding notices Deadline: Varies by state office and notice cycle (many FY 2025 state notices closed February 28, 2025 at local-time cutoffs) Location: United States

USDA Section 502 Direct Home Loan

Zero-down payment mortgage for very low- and low-income rural homebuyers financed directly by USDA Rural Development.

Type: Loan Amount: Loan limit varies by county; payment assistance can reduce effective interest rate to 1% Deadline: Rolling Location: United States - Rural

USDA Section 504 Home Repair Loans and Grants

Provides low-interest loans and grants to very low-income rural homeowners to repair, improve, or modernize dwellings.

Type: Benefit Amount: Loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest; grants up to $10,000 for seniors Deadline: Rolling Location: United States

USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Direct Loan Guide: How to Secure 1 Percent Financing for Rural Affordable Housing

If you work in affordable housing and rural communities keep coming up short, the USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Direct Loan program should be on your short list of tools. It is not flashy. It is not fast.

Amount: Up to 100% of development costs (or appraised value) with 1% effective interest rate and up to 50-year term Deadline: Annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and rolling applications through USDA Rural Development state offices Location: United States