The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the Department of Agriculture announced in the attached June 28, 2013, FEDERAL REGISTER notice that it is accepting applications for Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grants. Tribes and tribal organizations are eligible applicants. The deadline for receipt of applications is August 12, 2013.
These grants are designed to provide access to education, training and health care resources for people in rural America. The DLT Program provides financial assistance to encourage and improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. End user sites must be rural facilities.
The RUS clarifies in the attached notice that libraries may be eligible applicants. A minimum 15 percent match is required, which can be either cash or in-kind contributions, but greater match levels may increase an applicant’s overall score. Tribes may request that one or more Substantially Underserved Trust Areas (SUTA) provisions authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill be added to its application, one of which could be a waiver of the matching funds. The attached notice contains information specific to applying for a grant utilizing the SUTA provisions.
The RUS has $17.5 million available in FY 2013 grants, and expects to make awards ranging in size from $50,000 to $500,000.
Grant materials and applications are available at:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UTP_DLTResources.html
The phone number for the DLT program is (202) 720-0665.
If we may be of further assistance regarding the Rural Utilities Service’s telemedicine and distance learning grants, please contact us at the information below.
