RD Uses Facilities funding To Help Communities

USDA's rural development community facilities funding, recently highlighted by a $1-billion award to projects nationwide, consist of several grant and loan programs within rural development. And as Washington State Rural Development Director Helen Price Johnson points out, funding vehicles can be combined to bring needed facilities projects together. An example is a recent award to replace an aging rural hospital and nursing care facility in the Evergreen state.

"Its a combination of a guaranteed loan of $40 million and then a direct loan of $96 million.  So we weave these programs together to help meet the needs of each community."

In addition to community facilities direct loans and grants, other rural development funding vehicles include loan guarantees, technical assistance training grants, disaster grants and economic impact initiative grants.

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