The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $262 million to improve jobs, health care and infrastructure access in historically underserved communities.
The money is being aimed at Rural Partners Network communities, according to a Feb. 15 USDA news release.
"The Biden-Harris administration and USDA are committed to ensuring that people in rural areas have every opportunity to succeed – and that they can find those opportunities right at home in rural America," Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said in the news release. "From renewable energy and new jobs to clean water and quality health care, the Rural Partners Network is connecting rural people to resources that will help them create new and lasting prosperity on their own terms."
The Rural Partners Network aims to change the way federal agencies serve rural people, including residents in Native American communities, according to the release. The funding will support 68 projects in 10 states and Puerto Rico, creating jobs, building homes, transitioning farmers to clean energy and improving access to water, education and healthcare.
Torres Small announced the funding during a visit to North Carolina, where she also unveiled Rural Partners Network's annual report for the network's first year, the release reported. Led by the USDA and supported by over 20 federal agencies, RPN is central to President Joe Biden's commitment to ensure all rural people benefit from federal resources.
The network is funded by several federal acts, including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the release.
The funding will create jobs for rural people and help them expand their businesses, the release reported. The funding also is intended to farmers and ranchers find new and better markets and provide people living in remote areas access to modern water and wastewater systems, as well as education and health care services.
This investment will help bridge the gap between rural and urban areas and support the economic development of historically underserved communities, according to the release.
