USDA SEARCH Grant

Occasionally on Rural Resurrection, we spotlight a few grants that are available to rural communities throughout the Midwest. Usually, we are talking about a specific project and mention how a grant has helped that project become a reality. But sometimes the grants themselves need attention.

Over the years, I have highlighted several different programs that are available through USDA Rural Development (check out the Tool Kit page for more). USDA-RD is an excellent resource for small towns, and now they’ve added yet another grant fund to help the smallest of communities.

This new program is labeled the SEARCH Grant. SEARCH is an acronym for Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households. It is a fund that provides funds to assist small towns with studies, design, and technical assistance on water and waste disposal projects. It is specifically targeted to communities with a population of 2,500 or fewer residents that are financially distressed.

How can SEARCH Grant funds be used?

SEARCH Grant funds can be used to pay predevelopment planning costs, including:

• Feasibility studies to support applications for funding water or waste disposal projects
• Preliminary design and engineering analysis
• Technical assistance for the development of an application for financial assistance

Get Started Now

First, check out USDA’s page on the SEARCH Grant program. As with any grant program, there are a number of requirements your project must meet and a number of different aspects about the program your community should know about before considering applying for funding.

Then reach out to your local USDA Rural Development office to talk about your potential project. Local USDA-RD representatives are the best resources to find your way through the funding process through USDA. If you don’t know where your local office is located, check out the State Offices page on their website. From there, you can drill down to your state office’s page and find the local office for your community.

Grants featured in Grant Spotlight posts are also on the Rural Resurrection Tool Kit page. For more grant opportunities, check out the Tool Kit page.