The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service is looking to distribute $150 million for natural disaster recovery. According to a USDA release, the grants are through the Community Facilities Program and are intended “to help rural communities continue their recovery from the devastating effects of hurricanes, fires, and other natural disasters.”
The grants will be offered until funds are exhausted with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for a higher proportion of the funds. Municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and Native American tribes are eligible to apply for 100 different types of projects.
The grants follow Monday’s announcement of $3 billion in disaster funds for the nation’s producers recovering from floods, hurricanes, and wildfires in 2018 and 2019. That announcement, stemming from the June disaster supplemental bill, covers stored grain lost to flooding and prevented planting damages in addition to types of losses covered by the 2017 Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program. The program announced Monday, WHIP+, will cover 100% of a producer’s calculated payment for 2018, but only 50% of their 2019 losses. Depending on funding availability, USDA says the other 50% may be distributed in 2020.
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