—Toolkit Released to Guide Rural Infrastructure Development—
Columbus, OH — The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are excited to announce the release of the Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit (CFIT), a guide which was developed in collaboration over the past year. The CFIT contains best practices for planning, designing, developing and financing rural essential community facilities that can be used by nonprofits and public entities.
“The Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit is an excellent resource for rural organizations and community leaders,” said CDFA President & CEO Toby Rittner. “We’re happy to have collaborated on a product that will provide such a wide breadth of knowledge to a large audience. The creation of this Toolkit, will allow rural communities to connect their potential projects with development finance professionals in order to facilitate sustainable rural development.”
“The Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit is a resource designed for stakeholders championing sustainable economies through infrastructure development in Rural America,” said USDA Rural Housing Service Administrator, Tony Hernandez.
“This Toolkit incorporates best practices and lessons learned in an effort to accelerate construction projects such as schools, hospitals and public safety buildings all of which improves the quality of life in Rural America. The Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit identifies important synergies needed for success and encourages collaboration through the use of Public Private Partnerships.”
The process of building a new community facility can be challenging for any size organization. However organizations that are well informed of the due diligence needed for success are better prepared to meet the challenges of building a new facility. The Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit is intended to provide guidance through the Concept Development, Planning, Design, Environmental Compliance, Finance, and Construction phase of project completion. The information contained in this guide can be applied broadly across varied size organizations participating in different industries.
By following the Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit, community leaders will be better informed and prepared for project success. Rural communities seeking further assistance should contact their local USDA Rural Development Office. USDA staff is always available to assist rural communities and connect communities to development professionals.
The Community Facilities Infrastructure Tool Kit is available electronically on the USDA Community Facilities Programs Home Page.
The USDA Rural Development has a mission to improve the quality of life in rural areas by providing loans and grants for rural housing, utilities, broadband, local food systems, community facilities, bio-energy facilities, and small businesses. For more information about USDA Rural Development, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
The Council of Development Finance Agencies is a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing public, private and non-profit entities alike. For more information about CDFA, visit www.cdfa.net.