The following is a list of federal programs that provide grants, loans, and technical assistance for economic development projects related to broadband and infrastructure. See additional lists of other federal programs here.
Programs and their requirements are subject to change, so please check department websites for current information.
Area Development Program
Appalachian Regional Commission
Varies by State
The Area Development program provides grants to invest in two general areas within Appalachian communities: critical infrastructure and business and workforce development. Critical infrastructure investments mainly include water and wastewater systems, transportation networks, broadband, and other projects anchoring regional economic development. Business and workforce investments primarily focus on entrepreneurship, worker training and education, food systems, leadership, and other human capital development. All ARC Area Development grant proposals originate at the state level in consultation with the ARC state program manager.
Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program
Department of Agriculture
Open Year-Round
The Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas with no more than 20,000 residents. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses. Eligible borrowers include public bodies, community-based nonprofit organizations, and federally-recognized tribes.
Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program
Department of Agriculture
Open Year-Round
The Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Funds can be used to construct, enlarge, extend or otherwise improve essential community facilities, or for refinancing the debt of an essential community facility. Eligible applicants include lenders who have the legal authority, financial strength, and sufficient experience to operate a successful lending program.
Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee Program
Department of Agriculture
Open Year-Round
The Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee program makes insured loans and loan guarantees which finance the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation facilities in rural areas, including system improvements and replacement required to furnish and improve electric service. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, cooperative associations, state and local governments, Tribal governments, and for-profit businesses. An area must be qualified as rural for the purposes of this program.
ReConnect
Department of Agriculture
Not Yet Open – To Be Announced
ReConnect offers loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations to fund construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in areas of rural America that currently do not have sufficient access to broadband. Eligible entities include corporations, LLCs, limited liability partnerships, cooperatives or mutual organizations, states or local governments, a territory or possession of the United States, and Indian tribes. Grant matching fund requirements depend on the community served.
Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees
Department of Agriculture
Open Year-Round
The Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans & Loan Guarantees program finances the construction, maintenance, improvement and expansion of telephone service and broadband in rural areas. Eligible applicants include entities that provide telecommunications in qualified rural areas, including state and local government entities, Federally Recognized Tribes, nonprofits (including cooperatives and limited dividend or mutual associations), and for-profit businesses. Qualified areas are rural areas and towns with a population at or below 5,000 people, areas without telecommunications facilities, or areas where the applicant is the recognized telecommunications provider.
Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program
Department of Energy
Rolling Application
The Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program will guarantee loans to projects that retool, repower, repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that has ceased operations, or enable operating energy infrastructure to avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses. Eligible recipients include states, counties, cities/townships, Special Districts, Tribal governments, Independent School Districts, institutions of higher education, Public Housing Authorities, Indian Housing Authorities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses.
National Tribal Broadband Grant Program
Department of the Interior
Not Yet Open – To Be Announced
The National Tribal Broadband Grant program provides funding for feasibility studies to expand or deploy broadband in tribal communities. Funds may be used for service and engineering assessments, cost estimations, and other costs related to determining broadband feasibility. Eligible applicants include federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.
Community Change Grants
Environmental Protection Agency
Rolling Application; Application Deadline: November 21, 2024
Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (Community Change Grants) provides funding and technical assistance that support environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. The program has two tracks. Track I, Community-Driven Investments for Change, is the primary emphasis for the Community Change Grants. Track I projects will be implemented through strong collaborations to achieve sustained impacts related to climate resilience, pollution reduction, community health, economic prosperity, and community strength. Track II, Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance, provides funding for facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes. Applicants eligible to apply are 1) a partnership between two community-based nonprofit organizations, or 2) a partnership between a community-based nonprofit and one of the following: a federally-recognized Tribe, a local government, or an institution of higher education.
Healthcare Connect Fund
Federal Communications Commission
Rolling Application
The Healthcare Connect Fund, a program under the Rural Health Care Program, provides subsidies for high-capacity broadband connectivity to health care providers (HCPs) and encourages the formation of state and regional broadband HCP networks linking health care providers. Funds may be used for telecommunications and broadband services, as well as network equipment and (for consortia applicants) the cost of network facilities. Eligible applicants include public and nonprofit HCPs, including consortia of HCPs made up of majority-rural HCP sites.
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Program
Department of Commerce
Application Deadline: March 22, 2024
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Program supports projects that expand broadband access on tribal lands. The TBCP provides grants for two types of projects: 1) Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Projects and 2) Broadband Use and Adoption Projects (including Digital Equity). Grants funds may be used for a range of projects related to broadband deployment, telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion. Eligible entities include Tribal governments, Tribal colleges or universities, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Tribal organizations, or Alaska Native Corporations. Consortium applicants are encouraged to apply.