The Rural eConnectivity Program | RUS REC 2024 1

Opportunity Information: Apply for RUS REC 2024 1

The Rural eConnectivity Program, commonly called ReConnect, is a USDA Rural Development funding opportunity run by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) that supports broadband deployment in rural areas. The core purpose is to expand broadband infrastructure and service where it is lacking, with the larger goal of strengthening long-term economic development and opportunity in rural America. ReConnect can provide support through loans, grants, or a combination of loan and grant funding, giving applicants flexibility to structure financing in a way that fits the project and community needs.

This program is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141) and is carried out under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.). The formal program requirements and operating rules are set in the ReConnect final rule at 7 CFR part 1740, published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2021 (86 FR 11603). For this particular funding round, RUS is operating under a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which lays out application requirements and any funding-round-specific details that are set at the time the announcement is published.

Applications for this cycle open March 22, 2024 and must be submitted through the RUS online application portal by 11:59 a.m. Eastern on May 21, 2024. Submissions are only accepted through the online system hosted on the ReConnect website, and once the deadline passes, applications will not be accepted again until a new NOFO is published in the Federal Register. Applicants are expected to follow the ReConnect Program Application Guide and use the official program resources, which are posted at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/forms-and-resources, and the submission portal is available at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/. Questions are routed through the program Contact Us form on the same site.

RUS signals several policy priorities it wants applicants to keep in mind when shaping projects. These include helping rural communities recover economically by improving infrastructure and creating better market opportunities, making sure rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development programs and that benefits are broadly shared, and supporting efforts that reduce climate pollution while increasing resilience to climate change impacts through economic support to rural communities. In practice, that means competitive applications typically connect broadband buildout to concrete community outcomes like improved business activity, education and workforce access, telehealth capacity, and more durable infrastructure planning.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of public, nonprofit, and private entities. Eligible applicants listed for this opportunity include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The notice also specifically indicates that cooperatives or mutual organizations and limited liability partnerships are eligible to apply. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary, tied to assistance listings under CFDA number 10.752, and it is associated with activity areas that include business and commerce, community development, and regional development. The posted award ceiling for this opportunity is $25,000,000.

• The Rural Utilities Service in the business and commerce, community development, regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Rural eConnectivity Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.752.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RUS REC 2024 1

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