Grant Writing & Grant Administration in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Build Scotts Bluff assembles the data portions of a grant application- parcel record, assessed values, census and low-to-moderate-income figures, environmental and historic screens- each drawn from a first-party source and cited, so applicants and administrators (including CDBG certified administrators) can complete applications accurately.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)- Nebraska State-Administered Small Cities Program (state) - Acquisition of real property (an eligible CDBG activity), Demolition / clearance of slum and blight structures, Disposition of acquired property, Owner-occupied housing rehabilitation for LMI households (roofs, HVAC, ele. Amounts: Varies by category. Downtown Revitalization: $250,000 minimum to $435,000 maximum (2025-26 cycle; Scottsbluff received $435,000 in 2025). Pu. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
CDBG Downtown Revitalization (DTR) (federal) - Downtown commercial building facade rehabilitation, Historic restoration of downtown structures, Removal of architectural/accessibility barriers, Business facade, signage, and code-compliance loans/grants, Downtown publi. Amounts: DTR implementation: minimum award $250,000; maximum CDBG project activity $400,000 (per the 2025 Application Guidelines opportunity chart; A. Administered by Federal CDBG. Program page.
CDBG Area Benefit (Low/Moderate-Income Area Benefit, "LMA") National Objective- Nebraska CDBG Program (federal) - Acquisition of real property (HUD matrix 01) that will be developed for a public or commercial purpose serving the LMI area (e.g., land for a neighborhood park, a redevelopment site), Clearance and demolition of building. Amounts: Varies by funding opportunity (LMA is an eligible national objective in DTR, ED, Planning, PWF, PWI, TD). Downtown Revitalization: $250,000. Administered by Funded by HUD. Program page.
Site and Building Development Fund (SBDF) (state) - Land and building acquisition, Building construction or rehabilitation (speculative/industrial-ready buildings), Site preparation, Infrastructure development and improvements, Engineering and design costs, Technical assi. Amounts: Typical awards roughly $250,000-$500,000 per project (as grant or, in some structures, a zero-interest loan). Total available varies by appr. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
Civic and Community Center Financing Fund (CCCFF) (state) - Capital construction: building or improving libraries, recreation/wellness centers, gathering spaces, convention centers, town squares, and cultural centers, Conversion, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, or reus. Amounts: Planning grants: $3,000 floor to $15,000 ceiling. Construction grants: $15,000 floor (note: a separate disaster/special provision sets a $10. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
ImagiNE Nebraska Act (successor to the Nebraska Advantage Act) (state) - Investment tax credit (4% standard; 7% at higher tiers / $10M+ manufacturing investment) on qualified new investment in buildings, improvements to real property, and equipment, Wage credit (4%-9% of new-employee compensa. Amounts: Benefit value scales with project size; no fixed dollar cap per applicant, but credits/refunds are limited by the statewide annual 'base aut. Administered by Jointly administered by the 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.
Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund (NAHTF) (state) - Homebuyer new construction (single-family for-sale units), Purchase/Rehab/Resale (PRR) of existing units for resale to income-eligible homebuyers, Homebuyer (down payment / closing cost) assistance, secured by Deed of Tr. Amounts: Housing Development: up to $750,000 total for Primary plus Support Activities (excludes General Administration, Housing Management, and Lead. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
City of Gering- LB840 Economic Development Fund (Economic Development Grant/Loan) (city) - Forgivable loans (grants) to qualifying businesses for fixed assets and/or working capital, Non-forgivable low-interest loans with repayment terms (committee may split an award into part grant/forgivable, part loan), Loa. Amounts: Variable; sized to project need and job impact. Recent awards range from a ~$13,000 forgivable-over-5-years loan (16th Empire restaurant, co. Administered by City of Gering, Nebraska. Program page.
City of Scottsbluff- LB840 Local Option Municipal Economic Development Fund (city) - Direct loans or grants to qualifying businesses for fixed assets and/or working capital, Forgivable loans tied to job-creation/performance (committee may split an award part-grant/forgivable, part-repayable non-forgivabl. Amounts: Small Business Assistance: historically capped at $10,000 or 50% of project cost; raised by 2025 amendment to a maximum of $25,000 per busin. Administered by City of Scottsbluff Economic Development Department. 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.
SBA Microloan Program (via Nebraska intermediaries: Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Community Development Resources) (federal) - Working capital, Inventory and supplies, Furniture and fixtures, Machinery and equipment, Leasehold/business improvements (CDR lists 'improvements'); for home-based businesses, renovation of the business-dedicated portio. Amounts: $500/$1,000 minimum up to $50,000 maximum (SBA cap). Nationwide average microloan is about $13,000. CDR Nebraska: $1,000-$50,000. NEF direct. Administered by U.S. Small Business Administration. Program page.
HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)- Nebraska State-Administered (DED) (federal) - Acquisition of property/land for affordable housing, Rehabilitation of owner-occupied and rental housing, New construction of affordable single-family and rental units, Homebuyer down-payment/purchase assistance (purchas. Amounts: Varies by project and annual allocation; typically tens of thousands to several hundred thousand dollars per project (CHDO set-aside is 15%. Administered by U.S. HUD. Program page.
HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program (via Nebraska DED for non-entitlement communities) (federal) - Acquisition of real property / site assembly, Clearance, demolition, and site improvements, Rehabilitation of publicly or privately owned buildings, Construction of public facilities and infrastructure tied to redevelopm. Amounts: Typically $500,000 to $140,000,000 (project scale); for small Nebraska communities, capped by ~5x the available CDBG pledge.. Administered by U.S. HUD. Program page.
Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing (LISC / Enterprise / Habitat) (federal) - Organizational capacity building, staffing and training for CDCs/CHDOs, Predevelopment and development assistance (site analysis, feasibility, deal structuring), Grants and low-cost loans to CDCs/CHDOs for project predev. Amounts: Typically small-to-moderate capacity grants (often $10,000s to low six figures) plus predevelopment loans.. Administered by U.S. HUD funds three national intermediaries. Program page.
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance- Acquisition/Demolition Buyouts (HMGP, FMA, and BRIC where active) (federal) - Acquisition (fee-title purchase) of flood-prone structures and land from willing sellers, Demolition/removal of the structure, Restoration of the site to open space (graded/seeded), Related project administration. Amounts: Project/portfolio scale; pays up to pre-event fair market value of the property plus demolition/closing costs (federal share typically 75%).. Administered by FEMA. Program page.
Peter Kiewit Foundation Grants (Quality of Place Amenities / Community Vitality) (foundation) - Capital construction of civic/recreational/cultural community amenities, Adaptive reuse / redevelopment of a building into a public-benefit amenity, Quality-of-place placemaking projects, Community facility improvements. Amounts: Varies widely; foundation awards range from tens of thousands to multi-million for major capital. Matching basis required.. Administered by Peter Kiewit Foundation. Program page.
Nebraska Child Care Provider Support (DHHS CCDF Grants + Communities for Kids) (state) - Facility restoration/enhancement and equipment for licensed providers, Technology access for licensed providers, Community childcare capacity planning and technical assistance, Tuition assistance to income-eligible famil. Amounts: Per the open CCDF grant program; the ARPA stabilization round is closed. Subsidy rates per DHHS schedule.. Administered by Nebraska DHHS. Program page.
What the map hands a grant writer
Parcel legal description, ownership, assessed and market value, tax history- county assessor and treasurer, cited.
Census/ACS demographics and HUD low-to-moderate-income (LMISD) context for the project area.
Floodplain, historic (SHPO), and environmental (EPA) screens for the site.
Itemized project budgets on public "Ideas"- line-item costs that total a funding need, shareable with an administering office.
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?
18 programs are listed on this page (city, federal, foundation, state). 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.