OPPORTUNITY REPORT:

FY23 Community Connect Grant Program

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Program Summary

Key information at a glance:

Opportunity Title: FY23 Community Connect Grant Program
Opportunity Number: RDRUS-CC-2023
Agency: USDA, Rural Utilities Service
Total Program Funding: $79,000,000
Award Ceiling: $5,000,000
Cost Match: 15%
Expected Number of Awards: 10-20 (Based on past rounds of funding)
Deadline: June 20, 2023

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Program Overview

On Monday (March 20), the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced availability of $79 million in FY 23 for the Community Connect Grant (CCG) program. The purpose of this program is to increase access to the internet in rural communities, providing better resources for jobs, education, healthcare, public safety, and community development.

Awarded projects will construct broadband networks that provide service to residential homes, businesses, and essential services (such as public schools, fire stations, public libraries, and public safety stations) located within the service area. In addition, the program requires that all essential community facilities and a community center are provided free services for at least two years.

Applicants can request funding for 1) the construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, spectrum, land or buildings used to deploy broadband services, 2) the cost of providing broadband service free of charge to the critical community facilities for 2 years. And 3) improvement, expansion, construction or acquisition of a community center that provides online access to the public (Less than 10% of the grant amount or up to $150,000).

Key Priorities

Rural Development key priorities are as follows:

Assisting rural communities to recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects.
Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.