Agriculture, Farm & Ranch Funding in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Agriculture is the base economy of the North Platte Valley. These programs fund farm and ranch operations, value-added processing, and rural infrastructure in Scotts Bluff County.
Community Development Assistance Act (CDAA) Tax Credit (state) - Physical facility and neighborhood development services (building/facility improvements supporting eligible services), Employment/job training programs, Human services, medical services, day care, in-home services, emerg. Amounts: 40% state tax credit on eligible contributions. Minimum eligible contribution: $50. DED will not authorize more than $50,000 of tax credits. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
Nebraska Historic Tax Credit (NHTC) (state) - Rehabilitation/restoration construction and hard costs meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, Architectural, engineering, and design fees, Accounting and legal fees tied to the rehab, Costs. Amounts: Credit = 20% of eligible rehabilitation expenditures. Per-project cap of $2 million in credits. Statewide annual allocation of $2 million (a. Administered by Jointly administered by History Nebraska / Nebraska State Historical Society. Program page.
NIFA Homebuyer Assistance Program (HBA)- down-payment/closing-cost second mortgage, layered on a NIFA First Home or Welcome Home first mortgage (state) - Down payment on an owner-occupied primary residence purchase, Closing costs / prepaid items, Paired with a NIFA first-mortgage (First Home, First Home Targeted, or Welcome Home)- Conventional, FHA, USDA Rural Development. Amounts: Second mortgage = up to 5% of the home's purchase price, capped at $10,000. Buyer must contribute a minimum of $1,000 of their own funds. Fi. Administered by Nebraska Investment Finance Authority. Program page.
USDA Single Family Housing Direct Home Loan (Section 502 Direct) (federal) - Purchase of an existing modest single-family home (owner-occupied), New construction of a home, Repair, renovation, or rehabilitation of a home being purchased, Relocation of a home, Purchase and preparation of a site, i. Amounts: No fixed program cap; the maximum loan equals the lesser of the applicant's repayment ability and the USDA area loan limit for the county wh. Administered by USDA Rural Development, Rural Housing Service. Program page.
USDA Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants (Section 504) (federal) - Roof, foundation, and structural repairs, Health and safety hazard removal (electrical wiring, plumbing, heating/HVAC), Accessibility improvements for elderly/disabled (ramps, grab bars, widened doors), Modernization of. Amounts: Loan: up to $40,000 maximum outstanding balance. Grant: up to $10,000 lifetime (raised to $15,000 in presidentially declared disaster areas). Administered by USDA Rural Development. Program page.
USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program (Water & Environmental Programs / WEP) (federal) - Drinking water systems: source, treatment, storage, distribution, Sanitary sewer collection, transmission, treatment, and disposal, Solid waste collection, disposal, and landfill closure, Storm water collection, transmis. Amounts: No fixed cap on the core loan/grant- amount is set by project need and financial feasibility. Direct loans repaid over the useful life of th. Administered by USDA Rural Development, Rural Utilities Service. Program page.
USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program (CF Direct) (federal) - Acquisition (purchase) of real estate/sites and existing buildings for an essential community facility, New construction of essential community facilities, Rehabilitation/improvement and expansion of existing community f. Amounts: No statutory per-project cap on direct loans; loans commonly range from roughly $50,000 to $10,000,000+ subject to annual appropriations and. Administered by USDA Rural Development. Program page.
USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) - Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants and Guaranteed Loans (federal) - Renewable energy systems: commercial/agricultural solar PV generation, Wind generation, Geothermal (electric and direct-use), Small hydropower (under 30 MW), Biomass / biofuels (biodiesel, ethanol, anaerobic digesters, s. Amounts: Renewable energy system grants: $2,500 minimum to $1,000,000 maximum. Energy efficiency improvement grants: $1,500 minimum to $500,000 maxim. Administered by USDA Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Program page.
USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) (federal) - Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights-of-way (Enterprise grants), Construction, conversion, or renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, Access streets/roads, parking areas, utilities, wat. Amounts: Typically $10,000 to $500,000 per award; statutorily no maximum, but smaller requests score higher (requests under $100,000 receive the top. Administered by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative.... Program page.
USDA Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program (OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative) (federal) - Purchase and development of land, buildings, and associated infrastructure for commercial or industrial property (directly applicable to acquiring/redeveloping a low-value parcel), Building construction, conversion, enla. Amounts: Loans (and thus guarantees) up to $25,000,000 per borrower (higher amounts possible only by Administrator exception, e.g., up to $40M for ce. Administered by USDA Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Program page.
USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (Section 502 Guaranteed) (federal) - Purchase of an existing eligible rural home (100% financing, no down payment), Purchase + qualifying repairs/improvements (limited rehab rolled into the loan), New construction of a primary residence, Relocation of a dwe. Amounts: Based on appraised value/borrower qualification (100% financing); no fixed program cap but limited by repayment ability and modest-home stan. Administered by USDA Rural Development. Program page.
Center for Rural Affairs- Small Business / Rural Microenterprise Lending (USDA RMAP intermediary) (regional) - Real estate acquisition and improvement, Equipment and supplies, Inventory, Working capital, Debt refinancing, Business startup and expansion. Amounts: Loan products $1,000-$250,000 (RMAP microloans under $50,000). Terms up to 10 years; interest at least 1%. Flexible underwriting for thin/no. Administered by Center for Rural Affairs. Program page.
FHLBank Community Development Program (CDP) Advances (below-market commercial/economic-development loans) (regional) - Commercial real estate acquisition/redevelopment, Small business expansion tied to a property, Mixed-use and downtown commercial projects, Economic development loans that create/retain jobs or serve targeted areas. Amounts: Minimum CDP advance $10,000; no fixed cap (sized to the underlying loan). Maturities from 4 months to 30 years.. Administered by Federal Home Loan Bank. Program page.
NPPD EnergyWise Business / Commercial & Agricultural Incentives (utility) - Energy-efficient lighting (existing buildings), HVAC efficiency upgrades, Variable frequency drives / motors, Building envelope and other custom efficiency measures, EV charging equipment (Level 2 / DC fast). Amounts: Prescriptive measures from ~$75 per lighting fixture to ~$30/hp for VFDs; EV chargers up to $200/kW. Projects over $5,000 require pre-approv. Administered by Nebraska Public Power District. Program page.
Black Hills Energy Nebraska Commercial & Multi-Family Natural Gas Efficiency Rebates (incl. Custom Rebate) (utility) - High-efficiency natural gas furnaces and water heaters (Commercial HEAT), Multi-family developer incentives for gas venting/plumbing in new units, Agricultural gas measures (irrigation, grain drying, shop/home heating),. Amounts: Varies by measure and the Custom Rebate calculation (based on energy saved). Funding is limited and first-come, first-served.. Administered by Black Hills Energy. Program page.
PREMA REDLG Revolving Loan Fund (USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant pass-through) (utility) - Business start-up and expansion (fixed assets, buildings, equipment), Community facility projects, Job-creating economic development projects, Working capital tied to job creation. Amounts: Up to 80% of project costs (the remaining 20% from the borrower or local utility). Zero percent interest on first-time loans; repayment may. Administered by Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association. Program page.
How matching works
Pick any parcel in Scottsbluff, Gering, Terrytown, Mitchell, Minatare, Morrill, Lyman, Melbeta, Henry, or McGrew and the map runs its facts- zoning, use, overlays (TIF/CRA, CDBG low-to-moderate-income areas), and project details- through a deterministic eligibility engine. Every answer cites a first-party authority.
Program facts summarize each administering body's published materials; follow the program links for current deadlines and rules.
Common questions
How many programs does this cover in Scotts Bluff County?
16 programs are listed on this page (federal, regional, state, utility). Each names the office that runs it and links that office's own page. The list is rebuilt from the funding catalog every time the site publishes, so it does not go stale between updates.
Does it cost anything to use this?
No. The program list, the parcel map, and the matching are free to use, with no account and no sign-up. Build Scotts Bluff charges only automated AI agents that call the data API.
Who do I contact to apply?
2 of these are run locally or regionally, so that is usually the first call. Every entry above names its administering body and links its program page; apply through that office, not through this site.
How do I know which ones my property qualifies for?
Open the map, pick the parcel, and the eligibility engine runs that lot's own facts -- zoning, use, and overlays such as TIF/CRA and CDBG low-to-moderate-income areas -- against each program's published rules. Every answer cites a first-party authority.