The State of Nebraska received $1.04 billion in Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). CSFRF provides economic relief funds to state, local, and tribal governments that were negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Nebraska State Legislature appropriated $723 million in ARPA and state funding to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) to strengthen the Nebraska economy and create more resilient communities.
Today, we are excited to announce DED’s strategy for administering 29 innovative programs designed to include the following:
- Over $110 million for recovery grants benefitting communities located in Qualified Census Tracts;
- Up to $147 million for Economic Recovery Grants to focus on business development, entrepreneurship, internships, crime prevention, affordable housing, among other areas;
- Up to $115 million for Coronavirus Capital Projects including multi-purpose community facilities and broadband projects;
- Over $140 million in state-funded programs for housing, internship grants, and a public-private partnership facility grant to support the U.S. Strategic Command; and
- Over $195 million for job training, facility building, rural workforce housing and more.
This multi-year investment in Nebraska communities begins now and runs through 2026. DED is swiftly designing program guidelines, applications, and processes necessary to administer these programs. DED plans to open applications for the first round of programs in September 2022 with additional funding opportunities continuing through fall of 2024.A majority of funds designated for the first round of applications will be awarded by December 2022, with all funding to be expended by 2026.
DED is committed to administering these programs in an efficient, effective, and transparent manner. Recurring status updates providing details on the movement of funds and upcoming activities will be periodically posted on DED’s website.
“The State is dedicated to using federal ARPA funds to strengthen Nebraska,” said Gov. Ricketts. “Our goal is to allocate available funds efficiently, fairly, and transparently for the maximum benefit of Nebraskans. Thank you to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for designing programs that are easy to use and tailored to aid communities across the Good Life.”
“DED is committed to a monthly communication cadence that will ensure our citizens are fully aware of our progress fulfilling program objectives,” said DED Director Anthony L. Goins. “This includes updates via email, social media channels, radio interviews and press conferences. We are excited about this economic development endeavor and the growth return for our state.”
To learn more about these programs and sign up for ongoing updates via email, please visit the Economic Recovery Program’s page at opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery.
A list of eligible programs, available funds, and key application and award dates can be found in the below:
Table 1: ARPA-Funded Grant Programs
| No. | ARPA-Funded Grant Programs | Total Available Funds | Application Open Date (Estimated) | Award Date (Estimated) |
| 1 | Affordable Housing in Lincoln Qualified Census Tracts | $20M | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 2 | Affordable Housing in Omaha Qualified Census Tracts | $20M | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 3 | Standing Bear Film | $5M | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 4 | County Agricultural Society | $5M | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 5 | Internships & Crime Prevention | $6M | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 6 | Financial Literacy Program | $1M | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 7 | iHub | $30M | November 2022 | July 2023 |
| 8 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – North Omaha | ≥$55M* | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 9 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – South Omaha | ≥$35M* | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 10 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – Lincoln | $10M | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 11 | Qualified Census Tract Recovery Grant Program – Outside Lincoln and Omaha | $10M | May 2023 | June 2023 |
| 12 | Capital Projects Fund | $128M | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 13 | Business Park in Omaha Qualified Census Tracts | $60M | October 2022 | April 2023 |
| 14 | Building Mental Health Care and Education Capacity Program | $40M | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 15 | Nebraska Meat Processing Wastewater Pretreatment and Runoff Control | $20M | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 16 | Nuclear Plant Siting Feasibility Study Program | $1M | September 2022 | October 2022 |
| 17 | Nebraska International Event Sponsorship Fund | $0.5M | September 2022 | September 2022 |
| 18 | Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act | $100M | Closed | July 2022 |
| 19 | Rural Workforce Housing Land Development Program | $10M | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 20 | Pandemic Relief Housing Program | $8M | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 21 | Economic Development Administration & Tourism | $3M | October 2022 | December 2022 |
| 22 | Refugee Job Training and Placement | $1M | October 2022 | November 2022 |
| 23 | NIFA LIHTC Pandemic Relief Program | $20.5M | Not Applicable | August 2022 |
| TOTAL ARPA FUNDS | $595.8M |
Table 2: State-Funded Grant Programs
| No. | State-Funded Grant Programs | Total Available Funds | Application Open Date (Estimated) | Award Date (Estimated) |
| 1 | Rural Projects Act | $50M | January 2021 | July 2022 |
| 2 | Rural Workforce Housing | $30M | October 2022 | April 2023 |
| 3 | Middle Income Housing | $20M | February 2023 | August 2023 |
| 4 | Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control | $0.25M | TBD | TBD |
| 5 | InternNe | $20M | TBD | TBD |
| 6 | Public-Private Partnership facility to support the U.S. Strategic Command | $20M | TBD | TBD |
| 7 | Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act | $15M | Closed | July 2022 |
| TOTAL STATE FUNDS | $155.25M |