Today, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) announced the recipients of $22,825,000 in awards through the 2022 round of Nebraska’s Rural Workforce Housing Fund (RWHF).
Authorized by the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Act of 2017, the RWHF helps communities create quality, affordable housing to accommodate growth.
For the 2022 funding cycle, RWHF awards were available to eligible non-profit development organizations who supplied at least a fifty percent match (that is, fifty cents for every one dollar of RWHF funds awarded). In many cases, local financial institutions and employers partnered with the primary applicant in providing the local match. Combined, today’s recipients contributed more than $12.1 million in matching funds.
DED administers the RWHF program on behalf of the State of Nebraska through a competitive application process. The department then partners with recipients to provide input regarding project design, development, and implementation.
“Growing rural Nebraska is a priority for our agency,” said DED Interim Director Joe Fox. “The RWHF supports job creation and helps attract residents to our rural communities through strategic investments in affordable, high-quality housing. We had an outstanding batch of applicants for this cycle of RWHF awards. Congratulations to the awardees!”
Today’s awards were made possible by a general fund allocation authorized by the Nebraska Legislature in 2022.
The award recipients, their project areas, matching dollars, and amount awarded are listed below. For more information about the RWHF, visit opportunity.nebraska.gov/program/workforce-housing-fund. For questions, contact Nick Dropinski, Workforce Housing Specialist, at nick.dropinski@nebraska.gov or 402-580-0713.
Rural Workforce Housing Fund Recipients, May 2023
| Recipient | Project Area | Local Match | RWHF Award |
| Albion Economic Development Corporation | Albion | $566,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Arcadia Safety and Preservation Fund, Inc. | Valley County, primarily Arcadia | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aurora Housing Development Corporation | Hamilton County | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Box Butte Development Corporation | Alliance | $375,000 | $750,000 |
| Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce | Columbus | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| David City Development Corporation | David City | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation | Grand Island | $675,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Greater Fremont Development Council | Fremont | $503,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Greater Loup Valley Activities, Inc. | Valley County, primarily Ord | $551,500 | $1,000,000 |
| Hastings Economic Development Corporation | Hastings | $600,000 | $1,000,000 |
| McCook Economic Development Corporation | McCook, Red Willow county | $351,000 | $702,000 |
| Merrick County Development Corporation | Central City | $502,500 | $1,000,000 |
| NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska | Norfolk | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Neligh Chamber of Commerce | Neligh | $255,000 | $510,000 |
| North Central Development Center, Inc. | Brown, Keya Paha, & Rock counties | $163,500 | $327,000 |
| O’Neill Chamber of Commerce | O’Neill | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Panhandle Area Development District | Sidney | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Phelps County Development Corporation | Holdrege, Bertrand | $300,000 | $600,000 |
| Ravenna Economic Development Corporation | Ravenna | $175,000 | $350,000 |
| Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership | Seward County | $378,000 | $756,000 |
| South Central Economic Development District, Inc. | Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Franklin, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Howard, Kearney, Merrick, Nuckolls, Phelps, & Webster counties | $430,000 | $860,000 |
| Southeast Nebraska Affordable Housing Council | Nebraska City, Falls City, and Henderson primarily | $800,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Spencer Community Economic Development, Inc. | Spencer | $350,000 | $700,000 |
| Twin Cities Development | Scotts Bluff, Morrill, & Kimball counties | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Wausa Development Corporation | Wausa | $135,000 | $270,000 |
| West Central Nebraska Development District | Imperial | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| York County Development Corporation | York County | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Total | $12,110,500 | $22,825,000 |