Grant application deadline extended to May 31.

April 30, 2013 –  There is more good news for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). When Congress passed the 2013 appropriations bill, they removed previous limits on REAP funding. As a result, an additional $38 million has been released for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Due to the late notice of these funds, the USDA has extended the deadline for grants, including feasibility studies, to May 31, 2013.

Total funding will be approximately $60 million, for some mix of grants and loan guarantees. We understand the overall cap on feasibility study funding will be raised to $350,000. The USDA previously announced total funding of only $20.8 million, a record low in program funding history. You can download the official funding notice for 2013 here.

Over the last decade, the REAP program projects has created thousands of working examples in rural America of energy efficiency, biogas, wind power, solar and bioenergy technologies.  REAP improves local economies through new jobs for system development, installation, operation and maintenance. REAP benefits the entire nation by leveraging private investment for job creation, developing clean low carbon energy, and energy security with diverse local production.