Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) | USDA RD HCFP RCDI 2024

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA RD HCFP RCDI 2024

The Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) is a discretionary grant program run by the USDA Rural Housing Service that funds technical assistance and training efforts aimed at strengthening rural communities. Rather than funding construction directly, RCDI is designed to build local capacity by supporting intermediary organizations that can coach, train, and resource smaller rural entities so they can successfully plan, finance, and carry out projects tied to housing, community facilities, and broader community and economic development.

The basic structure is a three-level model: the intermediary (the grantee) receives the federal award and then delivers a structured program of financial assistance and hands-on technical assistance to local recipient organizations. Those recipients then provide services or carry out activities that ultimately benefit rural residents and communities (the beneficiaries). In practical terms, the intermediary might provide training on organizational governance, financial management, project development, fundraising, compliance, or strategic planning, along with pass-through financial support that helps recipients get positioned to launch or expand community projects.

Eligible applicants are described broadly and include qualified private, nonprofit, and public entities, including tribal organizations, that can operate as intermediaries. The opportunity lists a wide range of eligible applicant types such as state, county, and local governments; special districts; school districts; public and state-controlled colleges and universities; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; private institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. Even with this wide eligibility, the key requirement is that the applicant must function as an intermediary capable of running a financial and technical assistance program for rural recipients.

To qualify as an intermediary, the organization must have been legally organized for at least three years and must demonstrate at least three years of prior experience working with private nonprofit community-based housing and development organizations, low-income rural communities, or tribal organizations. That experience must be in one or more of the eligible focus areas: housing, community facilities, or community and economic development. This experience requirement is central because the program is heavily focused on delivering credible, practical capacity-building support to rural partners.

Award sizes range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum (award ceiling) of $500,000 per intermediary. A major condition of the program is the match requirement: the intermediary must provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the RCDI grant (a dollar-for-dollar match). Applicants should plan for this early because it affects project scale, cash flow, and how the budget is structured across federal and matching sources.

Geography and population rules apply to the communities being served. Specifically, the recipient organizations and the beneficiaries must be located in a city or town with a population of 50,000 or fewer inhabitants. Importantly, the intermediary itself does not have to be located in a town under 50,000; the rural size requirement applies to the recipient and beneficiary locations, which aligns with the program goal of building capacity in smaller rural places.

This specific opportunity is identified as USDA RD HCFP RCDI 2024 under CFDA (Assistance Listing) 10.446. The original closing date listed is July 10, 2024. The program anticipated making about 25 awards, with the maximum award set at $500,000. Overall, RCDI is best understood as a capacity-building and technical assistance grant that helps rural organizations become stronger, more effective, and better prepared to deliver tangible housing, facilities, and economic development outcomes in their communities.

• The Rural Housing Service in the agriculture, community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.446.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-10. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• 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.

Apply for USDA RD HCFP RCDI 2024

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