The State of Nebraska has received $1.04 billion in Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The CSFRF provides economic relief funds to state, local and tribal governments that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Nebraska State Legislature has allocated $723 million in ARPA and state funding to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) to strengthen Nebraska’s economy and create more resilient communities.
Today, we are thrilled to announce DED’s strategy for administering 29 innovative programs designed to include the following:
- More than $110 million for restoration grants to benefit communities in qualifying census tracts;
- Up to $147 million for economic stimulus grants to focus on business development, entrepreneurship, internships, crime prevention, affordable housing, among other areas;
- Up to $115 million for coronavirus-related capital projects, including multi-purpose community facilities and broadband projects;
- More than $140 million in state-funded programs for housing, internship scholarships, and a public-private partnership setup grant to support U.S. Strategic Command; and
- Over $195 million for job training, facility construction, rural workforce housing and more.
This multi-year investment in Nebraska communities begins now and will continue through 2026. DED is rapidly designing program guidelines, applications, and processes needed to administer these programs. DED expects to open applications for the first round of programs in September 2022 with additional funding opportunities through fall 2024.
The DED is committed to administering these programs in an efficient, effective and transparent manner. Recurring status updates providing details of upcoming fund movements and activities will be posted periodically on the DED website.
“The state is committed to using federal ARPA funds to strengthen Nebraska,” Governor Ricketts said. “Our goal is to allocate available funds in an efficient, equitable, and transparent manner for the greatest benefit of Nebraskanians. Thank you to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for designing easy-to-use, responsive programs to help communities across the Good Life.
“DED is committed to a monthly communication cadence that will ensure our citizens are fully aware of our progress in achieving program goals,” said DED Director Anthony L. Goins. “This includes email updates, social media, radio interviews and press conferences. We are excited about this economic development endeavor and the return of growth for our state. »
To learn more about these programs and sign up for ongoing email updates, please visit the Economic Recovery Program page at opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery.
Below is a list of eligible programs, available funds, and key application and award dates:
Table 1: Grant programs funded by ARPA
| No. | ARPA-Funded Grant Programs | Total funds available | Application opening date (estimated) | Award date (estimated) |
| 1 | Affordable Housing in Qualified Lincoln Census Tracts | $20 million | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 2 | Affordable Housing in Omaha’s Qualified Census Tracts | $20 million | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 3 | Standing bear movie | $5 million | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 4 | County Agricultural Society | $5 million | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 5 | Internships and Crime Prevention | $6 million | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 6 | Financial Literacy Program | $1 million | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| seven | iHub | $30 million | November 2022 | July 2023 |
| 8 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – North Omaha | ≥55M$* | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 9 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – South Omaha | ≥35M$* | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| ten | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – Lincoln | $10M | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 11 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – Outside of Lincoln and Omaha | $10M | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 12 | Funds for capital projects | $128 million | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 13 | Business Park in Omaha Qualified Census Tracts | $60 million | October 2022 | April 2023 |
| 14 | Mental Health Care and Education Capacity Building Program | $40 million | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 15 | Nebraska Meat Processing Wastewater Pretreatment and Runoff Control | $20 million | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 16 | Feasibility study program on the establishment of a nuclear power plant | $1 million | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 17 | Nebraska International Event Sponsorship Fund | $0.5M | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 18 | Capital Recovery and Investment Ready to Start Act | $100 million | Firm | July 2022 |
| 19 | Land Development Program for Rural Labor Housing | $10M | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 20 | Pandemic Relief Housing Program | $8 million | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 21 | Economic Development and Tourism Administration | $3 million | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 22 | Vocational training and placement of refugees | $1 million | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 23 | NIFA LIHTC Pandemic Relief Program | $20.5M | Not applicable | August 2022 |
| TOTAL ARPA FUNDS | $595.8M |
Table 2: State-funded subsidy programs
| No. | State-funded grant programs | Total funds available | Application opening date (estimated) | Grant date (estimated) |
| 1 | Rural Projects Act | $50 million | January 2021 | July 2022 |
| 2 | Rural Workforce Housing | $30 million | October 2022 | April 2023 |
| 3 | Middle income housing | $20 million | February 2023 | August 2023 |
| 4 | Control of risks associated with lead-based paint | $0.25M | To be determined | To be determined |
| 5 | Intern | $20 million | To be determined | To be determined |
| 6 | Public-private partnership facility to support US Strategic Command | $20 million | To be determined | To be determined |
| seven | Capital Recovery and Investment Ready to Start Act | $15 million | Firm | July 2022 |
| TOTAL STATE FUNDS | $155.25M |