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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Funding by Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Summaries of funding programs are provided by RHIhub for your convenience. Please contact the funder directly for the most complete and current information.

Rural Housing Preservation Grants (Section 533)
Grants to organizations that work to rehabilitate and preserve affordable housing occupied by rural, low-income individuals.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 8, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Housing Service
America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Program (HFFI Partnerships Program)
Funding to build the capacity of locally and regionally focused Healthy Food Financing Partnerships to provide financial and technical assistance to eligible healthy food retailers and post-harvest food retail supply chain enterprises. Rural areas are a program priority.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 18, 2026
Sponsors: Healthy Food Financing Initiative, Reinvestment Fund, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program
Grants for qualified nonprofit organizations and tribal organizations to create a revolving loan fund to increase access to clean, reliable water and septic systems for households in eligible rural areas. Funding is designed to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that they own or will own.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 30, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Utilities Service
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDL and REDG)
Loans and grants to assist in the economic development of rural areas, including funds for healthcare facilities and equipment, telecommunications networks, and job creation projects.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 30, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Strategic Economic and Community Development Program
A program that allows USDA to give priority for projects that support the implementation of regional economic development plans through several USDA Rural Development funding programs.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 30, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Higher Education Challenge Grants Program
Grants to colleges and universities to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention. The overall program objective is to respond to identified state, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences, or in rural economic, community, and business development.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories
Application Deadline: Oct 15, 2026
Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program (TCRGP)
Grants to tribal colleges and universities for research projects that address concerns and needs of tribal and reservation communities, including projects that focus on health, food, nutrition, and agricultural production research.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2026
Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund Loans and Technical Assistance
Loans and technical assistance funding for projects related to increasing food access and strengthening, expanding, and innovating within the food retail supply chain. Loans are one-time investments of capital to address barriers to entry in the food retail or food enterprise fields for rural and other eligible areas. Technical assistance funding will support planning and other projects that build capacity to develop a food retail outlet or food enterprise.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Sep 30, 2028
Sponsors: Healthy Food Financing Initiative, Reinvestment Fund, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Business and Industry Loan Guarantees
Loan guarantees to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve economies in rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development
Disaster Water Grants Program
Grants to help rural communities handle expenses related to presidentially declared disasters that damaged water systems. Water systems include all water resource infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater, storm drainage, and solid waste facilities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development, USDA Rural Utilities Service