Thirteen organizations will receive $3 million in cooperative agreements to make it easier for people in rural communities and tribal nations to find substantial employment, the federal Department of Agriculture said Nov. 8.
The funding initiative is partly tied to the COVID-19 pandemic response and in turn, President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan, which also seeks to help organizations based in rural and tribal communities to rebuild their economy through technical assistance, USDA officials said.
“As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on people living in rural places, the Department is targeting resources and leveraging partnerships to enhance the quality of life in rural towns and Tribal areas who need it most,” Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small said in the release. “Community and economic development strategies like placemaking are critical to helping the people of rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before.”
The recipients of the cooperative agreements are: Auburn University, Greater Applegate Community Development Corporation, County of Hawaii, Enterprise Center Partners, Kentucky Highlands Center for Development, Multicultural Initiative for Community Advancement (MICA) Group Inc., Bowling Green State University, Foundation for Puerto Rico, Center for Habitat Reconstruction Inc., University of Tennessee, Communities Unlimited, Conservation Fund and Housing Assistance Council.
“Rural Development does almost everything under the sun for rural communities, so there’s a lot to do,” the under secretary told Agweek.
