This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

-Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
-Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements
-Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
-Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
-Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
-Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
-Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses

What are the funding priorities?
---Priority point system based on population, median household income
-Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less
-Low-income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.