Rural community development technical assistance and training to resolve small community water and wastewaterissues in the southern united states - communities unlimited, INC. (CU) will use RCD…

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Communities Unlimited Inc. $2.757 million on September 30, 2025, under the Community Services Block Grant Discretionary Awards program (CFDA 93.570), Rural Community Development (RCD) funding track, for rural community development technical assistance and training to resolve small community water and wastewater issues in the Southern United States.

Communities Unlimited Inc. will provide intensive technical assistance and training to at least 160 low-income rural communities with populations under 2,500 and poverty rates of at least 20 percent across Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. For communities without existing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, the organization will help plan, finance, and develop adequate systems. For communities with existing infrastructure, Communities Unlimited Inc. will provide assistance to increase operator capacity to ensure safe drinking water delivery and compliant wastewater treatment, and will facilitate planning and development of critical infrastructure upgrades to address aging systems. The organization will train 450 local officials, water operators, and other staff, leverage $40 million for water and wastewater construction projects, and provide $3 million through its community development financial institution loan program for water and wastewater projects.

Performance runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Arkansas.

Rural community development technical assistance and training to resolve small community water and wastewaterissues in the southern united states - communities unlimited, INC. (CU) will use RCD funds to continue its rural community development technical assistance and training (RCD-TAT) program to help rural, low-income communities meet drinking water and wastewater needs in alabama, arkansas, louisiana, mississippi, oklahoma, tennessee, and texas. CU will provide rural households that are not served by community drinking water and wastewater facilities with intensive RCD-TAT to help plan, finance, and develop adequate infrastructure. Communities that do have this infrastructure will receive assistance and training to increase their capacity to operate these systems to ensure the delivery of safe drinking water and the treatment and discharge of clean wastewater that meets state and federal environmental regulations. These existing systems will also receive RCD-TAT to facilitate the planning and development of critical infrastructure upgrades to address widespread systemic infrastructure aging and deterioration. CU will provided targeted RCD-TAT to at least 160 low-income communities with less than 2,500 population and where the poverty rate is at least 20%; provide training to 450 local officials, water operators, and other staff; leverage $40 million for water and wastewater construction projects; and provide $3 million through its cdfi loan program for water and wastewater projects.