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West Virginia University Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities
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National Funding Sources 

American Trails Funding
Forest trail
The Trails Capacity Program is an initiative of the Trails Move People Coalition and American Trails. It invests in building a nationwide trail community in hopes to create a low-maintenance connected system. This program supports and assists partners with all aspects of trail projects. The funding for a project can range from 1K to 10K and must be spent in two years.

The Trail Fund - Legacy Trails Grant Program  resulted from a partnership between American Trails and the U.S. Forest Service. It aims to create more resilient national forests and grasslands by protecting, restoring, and maintaining watersheds. It targets nonprofit organizations and non-federal agencies, applications open in the fall and are awarded in early spring. Grant funding for projects depends on size and can range from 5K up to 100K and must be spent in two years.


Other Federal Programs

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) and partners offer assistance related to financing brownfield redevelopment through webinars, project response teams, their financing toolkit, and other resources.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers Community Development Block Grants annually to states, cities, and communities.  These are funding tools that address community and economic development needs including a suitable living environment, decent housing, and by expanding economic opportunities. Eligible grantees are principal cities of metropolitan statistical areas, other metropolitan cities with populations of at least 50,000, qualified urban counties with populations of at least 200,000, and states in insular areas. The section 108 Loan Guarantee Program provides Community Development Block Grant recipients with the ability to leverage their annual grant allocation to access low-cost, flexible financing for economic development, housing, public facility, and infrastructure projects.

Blighted Building Example in Fairmont, WV - Fairmont Box Factory

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has a public works program that helps distressed communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure.  Investments help facilitate the transition of communities from being distressed to becoming competitive.  EDA invests in brownfields redevelopment as well as many other projects and facilities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (DOA) Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program funds the development of essential community facilities in rural areas with less than 20,000 residents. These facilities must provide an essential service to the local community. The funding can be used to purchase, construct, and/or improve essential community facilities. Eligible borrowers include public bodies, community-based nonprofit corporations, and federally recognized tribes.

The DOA's Rural Community Development Initiative Grants (RCDI) are awarded to help nonprofit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community activities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and qualified private (for-profit) organizations may apply. These funds can be used to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas.

Economic Impact Initiative Grants from the DOA provide funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities (hospitals, medical clinics, childcare centers, town halls, museums, etc.) in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression. Public bodies, nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes can apply for this program. Communities must have no more than 20,000 residents and cannot have an unemployment rate greater than 19.5%.

Lastly, there are a number of federal tax incentives and credits available to offset the cost of redevelopment.

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