State Grants

This program provides funding to build wheelchair ramps and make home modifications for individuals with mobility disabilities in Tennessee, ensuring they have better access to their homes.

LWCF is a federal matching grant supporting acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. The LWCF program provides matching grants to states to administer to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. Recreation Educational Services administers the LWCF grants in Tennessee. These grants require a 50% match.

This funding program provides financial support to transit agencies and public service organizations in Tennessee for capital projects that improve public transportation infrastructure and services.

This funding initiative aims to create lasting partnerships among educational institutions, industries, and workforce agencies in Tennessee to address local skills gaps and ensure that training programs align with the needs of employers.

This funding provides support to states, territories, and Native American tribes to develop and enhance emergency response plans and training programs for hazardous materials management based on local needs and risks.

This initiative provides funding to support low-income students in Tennessee by enhancing their college and career readiness through local partnerships and targeted educational services.

This funding is available to local governments to improve public infrastructure that supports new and expanding businesses, helping to create jobs and attract investment.

This program provides financial assistance to companies in Tennessee to help cover the costs of training new employees, supporting job creation and economic growth in the state.

This program provides funding to elementary schools in Tennessee to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to students, promoting healthier eating habits during the school day.

This grant provides federal funding to state and local agencies for installing safety devices at highway-railroad crossings and improving safety measures to reduce accidents in Tennessee.

This program provides funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to implement projects that reduce future disaster risks following federally declared disasters.

This program provides financial incentives to timber harvesting companies and wood-using industries in Tennessee to promote sustainable forestry practices and enhance forest health.

Focused on projects that improve workforce development, improve health outcomes, and create jobs. Awarded to approximately recipients at up to $300,000 each. The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a federal-state partnership that represents 252 counties in eight states along the lower Mississippi River Delta. The DRA is focused on creating jobs, building communities, and improving lives of the more than 10 million people of the Delta Region. DRA envisions the region as a place where people and businesses have access to economic opportunities in vibrant, sustainable, and resilient communities. DRA’s mission is to realize that vision through the practical application of innovative ideas and strategies that will foster inclusive communities, strengthen regional collaboration and productive capacity, achieve sustained, long-term economic development, and produce meaningful opportunities for all people in the DRA region.

DWSRF funds drinking water and water supply projects, including "green" projects. Principal forgiveness available for qualifying small/disadvantaged/ rural communities for planning, design, and construction. Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loans are available for the planning, design, and construction phases of public water systems. DWSRF provides low-interest loans to cities, counties, utility districts, and water authorities for drinking water infrastructure. Small, economically disadvantaged communities are eligible for principal forgiveness, which can cover a portion of the SRF loan, and will significantly reduce the amount owed. Eligibility for principal forgiveness is restricted to communities with a population of 10,000 or less combined with an ATPI of 50 or less.

Funding to offset eligibible adminstrative expenses incurred while providing low income households with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost. The Commodity Distrubtion section administers USDA's Food Distribution Program for schools and residential institutions and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. These programs provide nutritious, USDA-purchased food to children and low-income citizens while supporting American agricultural producers.

Minor home repair program for elderly and disabled homeowners. The program is administered by development district and human resource agency partners on a statewide basis. To correct, repair, or replace an essential system and/or critical structural problem for low-income homeowners who are elderly (60+) or disabled. This is not a comprehensive home renovation program; the aim is to stabilize the homeowner's residence by making essential repairs to make the home more livable.

Designed to assist individuals with severe disabilities and their families to remain together in their homes and communities. Services are designed to be flexible and responsive to individual or family needs. Services can include but are not limited to: Respite care, day care services, home modifications, equipment, supplies, personal assistance, transportation, homemaker services, housing costs, health related needs, nursing and counseling.

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, P. L. 110-180 ("NIAA"), was initially signed into law by the President on January 8, 2008 (reauthorized by Title VI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, P.L. 115-141). The NIAA amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. The NIAA authorizes grants to be made in a manner consistent with the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP). Under this award, the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs will transfer funds to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to aid in the state's efforts to improve criminal history records. Tennessee’s AFIS is the state version of the formerly Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), now known as the Next Generation of Identification (NGI), which is the national fingerprint identification system that is managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For the TN AFIS to integrate effectively with the national system, the TBI must continually ensure improvements to the system are on-going and in alignment with the requirements of the FBI. Without the availability of funds for upgrades, the TBI has been working to maintain current service delivery by operating on a significantly older version of the TN AFIS system (2016); a version that now needs an even greater upgrade as each day goes by. TBI is requesting funds to implement a new AFIS with increased security and storage capacity, an upgraded disaster recovery plan, and rap back capability. Enhancing these functionalities will improve the quality and completeness of Tennessee’s computerized criminal history records, increase the number of available dispositions from courts and prosecutors, and improve mental health submissions reported to NICS.

The Diversity in Teaching (DIT) program grant competitively funds two-year proposals from regionally accredited colleges and universities domiciled in Tennessee, for the development of programs with a commitment to diversity as an instructional tool, and that increase the number of K-12 teachers in Tennessee from underrepresented groups.***Please check back soon for FY24-26 funding information and updates.***

Federal program designed to help homeless individuals / families enter into a shelter with the goal of finding affordable housing or maintain affordable housing. THDA administers the federally funded Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program for the state of Tennessee in 92 of the state's 95 counties in order to fund the provision of services necessary to help persons who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness to quickly regain stability in permanent housing.