Distance learning grant

The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service awarded $870,000 to Bell County Board of Education on September 23, 2025, under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program (CFDA 10.855) to support distance learning infrastructure and services in rural Kentucky.

Bell County Board of Education, based in Pineville, Kentucky, will use the funding to deploy telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies that deliver educational benefits through distance learning projects to rural residents in the county. The award is structured as a project grant with a period of performance extending through September 23, 2027.

The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program aims to encourage and improve the use of advanced technologies to provide educational and medical benefits through distance learning and telemedicine projects to people living in rural areas. Applicants are competitively selected each fiscal year based on specified scoring criteria, with awards approved upon determination that the project is economically feasible and serves the program's purposes. RUS rates applicants and determines awards accordingly under 7 CFR Part 1734, subparts D through G.