RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (RCD)

Purpose:
To fund regional and tribal organizations that manage safe water systems in rural communities and provide training and technical assistance to very small, low-income rural communities in developing and managing affordable and safe water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Legislative Authority:
Section 680 (a) (3) (B) of the Community Services Block Grant Act, as amended; the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of1998 (P.L. 105- 285).

Appropriations:

In FY 2024, 12.0 million
In FY 2023, 12.0 million
In FY 2022, $11.0 million.

Eligible Applicants:
Multi-state, regional, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations that can provide training and technical assistance to small, low-income, rural and tribal communities concerning their community facility needs.

Target Population:
Individuals with low incomes residing in the nation’s unincorporated areas and lowest income communities, including tribal and persistent poverty areas.

Uses:
RCD funds are used to provide training and technical assistance to:

• Increase access to safe water and waste disposal services in low-income communities;
• Manage safe water systems in rural and tribal communities;
• Preserve affordable community water and wastewater facilities;
• Ensure the safety and security of water systems;
• Improve local capacity and leadership to support water systems and services; and
• Train operators who manage water and waste water systems.

Type of Grant:
Competitive Discretionary Grant

Program Requirements:
RCD funds must be used to provide training and technical assistance to: increase access for low-income families to water supply and waste disposal services, preserve affordable water and waste disposal services in low-income rural communities, increase local capacity and expertise to establish and maintain needed community facilities, increase economic opportunities for low-income rural communities by ensuring they have basic water and sanitation, utilize technical assistance to leverage additional public and private resources, and promote improved coordination of Federal, state, and local agencies and financing programs to benefit low-income communities.

FY23 Program Highlights 

• $12M Appropriated by Congress
• $309M Additional funds leveraged from other funding sources to support building and maintaining water management systems
• 8 Multi-state regional nonprofits received awards, including two grant recipients focused on services for tribal communities
• Improved water and wastewater services for: 
  • 1M Individuals
  • 229K Households
• 722 Communities across the United States

Advancing Access (FY 2023)

• 24,074 Residents gained access to safe drinking water  
• 4,529 Residents connected to sanitary sewer systems
• 31 Systems rehabilitated or expanded, preserving and adding community water and wastewater facilities  

Rural Water System Advancements (FY 2023)

• 155 Water systems built monetary reserves or became financially sustainable, creating long-term access to clean water
• 77 Violations or non-compliance elements resolved to improve compliance with applicable laws and regulations  
• 670 Certifications obtained to improve technical capacity and strengthen compliance  

*The presented data for FY23 should be considered preliminary pending final data validation. RCD grant recipients report activities across the five-year grant period as completed. The full outcomes across the grant period will be realized at the end of each grant period.

Program Contact:
Harold J. Taylor, II., Program Specialist
Rural Community Development Program
Office of Community Services
Phone: 202-401-5711
OCSgrants@acf.hhs.gov
www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/rcd