Community Connect Grant Program

The Community Connect Grant Program is administered by the Rural Utilities Service, an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, which focuses on expanding infrastructure and economic opportunity in rural America. This program is authorized under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and is implemented through federal regulations. It is designed to address persistent gaps in broadband access by funding projects that deliver high-speed internet service to rural, economically challenged communities where such service does not currently exist. The program emphasizes community-oriented connectivity to stimulate economic development and improve access to education, healthcare, and other essential services. The primary purpose of the program is to provide financial assistance to eligible entities to construct broadband networks capable of delivering at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream speeds to all premises within a defined rural service area. These areas must lack existing broadband service and must be contiguous geographic regions fully located within eligible rural areas. The program is structured to ensure that funded projects deliver comprehensive connectivity rather than partial or incremental improvements, thereby maximizing community-wide impact. Funding is provided in the form of competitive grants, with a total of 17 million dollars available for the fiscal year. Individual awards range from a minimum of 100,000 dollars to a maximum of 3,000,000 dollars. The anticipated award date is September 2026, and projects are expected to be completed within a three-year performance period. While grants cannot be renewed, previous recipients are permitted to apply for new projects. Only one application per applicant may be approved in a given funding cycle. Eligible applicants include a broad range of entity types such as incorporated organizations, state and local governments, tribal organizations, cooperatives, private corporations, and limited liability companies operating on either a for-profit or nonprofit basis. Applicants must demonstrate legal and financial capacity to carry out the proposed project, including compliance with federal regulations and the ability to own and operate the broadband infrastructure. Additional eligibility requirements include restrictions on overlapping service areas, duplication of federally funded infrastructure, and compliance with federal debt and tax obligations. Applicants must meet several programmatic requirements in their proposals. These include providing free broadband service to essential community facilities within the service area for at least two years and establishing a community center with public internet access. The community center must include between two and ten computer access points and offer free service for a minimum of two years. Funding allocated to the community center is capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the grant request or 150,000 dollars. Applicants must also address cybersecurity risks and comply with federal policies related to infrastructure security. Applications must be submitted electronically through the USDA Rural Development portal. The application window opens on May 13, 2026, and closes on June 29, 2026 at 11:59 AM Eastern Time. Applicants are required to register in the System for Award Management and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier prior to submission. The application must include all required forms and documentation as specified in federal regulations and the program application guide. The agency evaluates applications based on established scoring criteria and selects projects competitively, with final awards determined by ranking and available funding. Following award selection, recipients must comply with extensive reporting and administrative requirements. These include annual performance reports, financial audits, and ongoing documentation of project activities and expenditures. Additional reporting continues for three years after project completion. The program also enforces compliance with federal civil rights laws, environmental policies, and procurement standards such as the Build America, Buy America Act. Recipients must maintain transparency and accountability throughout the project lifecycle to ensure effective use of federal funds.

Ensure service area clearly demonstrates lack of broadband and avoids duplication; follow application order strictly; provide complete documentation and strong justification for funding need