The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is pleased to announce the CDFA Community Facilities Technical Assistance Program for Tribal Communities, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This program aims to to increase...

Regenerative farms rely on small-to-mid scale, aligned infrastructure to process, transport, and market their products. These middle infrastructure businesses help to improve farm income and bolster regional food economies while providing...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) launched a joint resource guide to help community organizations access USDA and EDA resources to build strategies to boost economic...

Widening geographic inequality in the United States has shifted federal policymakers' attention to investing in "places" as well as "people." Given the large proportion of rural places in the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional...

Food and agriculture-related businesses are often perceived as too risky for traditional lending approaches, yet CDFA research tells a different story. This report, with loan-level data from over a thousand funds nationwide, demonstrates that food...

This document provides guidance on the application, award requirements, and administration of the TA Grant Program. Section II describes the available TA Grant Program funding. Section III defines eligible recipients, eligible beneficiaries, and...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with farmer-serving organizations, such as the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and its members to better reach and serve an increasingly diverse farmer and rancher constituency for...

The Federal Reserve has created this book to bring together community and economic development researchers, practitioners, philanthropists, and others to showcase the great work happening across this country and to outline a framework for conducting...

This is a USDA resource guide to help people in rural America start and grow businesses, create good-paying jobs in their communities and strengthen America’s economy. The guide features information on how rural entrepreneurs can use USDA and other...

U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Department is increasing the maximum loan amount to $400,000 under the Intermediary Relending Program. This change is in accordance with provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018...

Across the nation a growing variety of infrastructure projects are utilizing complex and layered capital stacks. Speakers will discuss how utilities, housing, transportation, renewable energy, community facilities, and other community infrastructure...

Financing transportation infrastructure is a top priority for the federal, state, and local governments. Aging infrastructure and associated rising maintenance and repair costs are just two of the many infrastructure-related challenges that...

Financing water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure can be costly for communities, but innovative financing can make it more economical. Three primary tools exist to support utility infrastructure – bond financing, state revolving loan funds,...

Interest in Public-Private Partnership (P3) finance is growing not only because state and the local governments realize the strength, flexibility, and efficiency of the P3 model, but because of the growing need for P3s to promote higher quality and...

During the last few years, a significant amount of America has been affected by the growing number of natural disasters and aging infrastructure. Infrastructure projects are challenging, time-consuming, and very costly, and it has become extremely...

The USDA Drought Tool Kit is specifically designed to assist officials and community leaders mitigate the impact of an ongoing drought. The Drought Tool Kit will help in accessing valuable resources to share with constituents in areas recovering...

The Kinder Institute Local and Regional Infrastructure Database contains more than 1,800 planned infrastructure projects identified by surveying local and regional leaders, reviewing capital investment documents, and using other sources. This...

Together, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development mission area have developed this Joint Resource Guide to further our commitment to...

USDA Rural Development (RD) developed this guide as a resource for rural communities seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance. The recent National Climate Assessment (NCA) identifies that more frequent and extreme weather and...

This Interactive Guide from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provides an interactive, step-by-step approach for users to filter through more than 90 broadband related programs compiled from 12 federal agencies...

During the third installment of the CDFA Rural Development Finance Webinar Series, we discovered best practices of development finance agencies to help you identify the right partner for your projects.

Developed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the newly enhanced Community Investment Explorer (CIE) 2.0 includes over 73 million transactions totaling over $3.2 trillion in community and economic development capital from 2012 to 2020. This...

This EIG report, interactive map, and case studies illustrate increasing wealth concentration in the U.S. and the urgency of forging new pathways that allow more Americans to have a substantial ownership stake in the wealth created by the U.S....

America’s rural workforce provides a vital foundation for the nation’s economy. Rural America supplies the nation’s food and energy resources, and the fiber necessary for goods and manufacturing. As USDA continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic...

Automation, shifting demographics, COVID-19 and increased telework opportunities are reshaping the workforce landscape amid shifting industry needs. Counties, through local and regional partnerships and workforce development boards, are working with...

Through data analysis supported by stakeholder interviews and case studies, this research from the National League of Cities identifies factors that support local engagement in regional economies, how these factors vary for urban and rural places,...

During this installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series, experts explain how rural communities can embrace the challenges of financing high-speed internet for the economic and societal gains provided by broadband.

This guide was created by the USDA in 2021 for community leaders and other local entities. The guide highlights four key assistance types necessary to building a stronger rural workforce: 1) Workforce development planning; 2) Infrastructure and...

Recognizing the urgency of the pandemic and related crises, on June 7, 2021, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York approached the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance to write a report about the current landscape of capital sources for community investment...

The USDA Rural Development published a final rule outlining changes to the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) on June 7, 2021. The program provides loans and grants to microenterprise development organizations to help them establish...

During this installment of the CDFA Rural Development Finance Webinar Series, learn about essential financing sources employed by rural communities to complete projects in today’s economy.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Adelanto, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the Town of Apple Valley, California. It was produced through collaboration between the Town, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Barstow, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Colton, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Fontana, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Grand Terrace, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Hesperia, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Highland, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Loma Linda, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Needles, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the County of San Bernardino, California. It was produced through collaboration between San Bernardino County and Local Equity LLC.

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the City of Yucaipa, California. It was produced through collaboration between the City, San Bernardino County, and Local Equity LLC.

The Resilience in New Mexico Agriculture Strategic Plan provides broad recommendations are coupled with specific, actionable strategies. The implementation of this plan is critical to achieving greater agricultural and natural resource resiliency,...

After the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, it guaranteed direct relief to all 19,000 cities, towns, and villages in the United States. NLC has identified frequently asked questions about the...