The Department of Agriculture Monday announced $91 million in investments to rural community facilities. 

The facilities included in the funding announcement provide essential services for nearly 300,000 rural residents in 12 states, according to USDA. 

 

USDA is funding 16 projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. 

The funding helps rural small towns, cities and communities make infrastructure improvements and provide essential facilities such as public schools, libraries, courthouses, public safety facilities, hospitals, colleges and day care centers. 

 

Acting assistant to the secretary for rural development Joel Baxley called modern community facilities “key drivers of economic development.” 

 

The projects are located in Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. 

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. 

 

Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.