# Kansas Opens $500,000 Towns Grant Round

The Kansas Department of Commerce opened the second round of its Towns Grant program on October 23, 2026, making $500,000 available for small-scale quality-of-place projects in eligible rural communities and distressed urban census tracts. Eligible communities generally have 5,000 or fewer residents or are in distressed census tracts. Applications are due by **5 p.m. December 23, 2026 (60 days remaining)**, with awards expected in January 2027. The program provides grants of $1,000–$25,000 for single-community projects and up to $50,000 for projects spanning multiple ZIP codes.

- Applicants must provide a minimum 10% match; in-kind contributions may count for communities with fewer than 1,000 residents.
- Local governments and project teams can use the funding to advance eligible community projects. Contractors and service providers may find downstream work as awardees develop and deliver those projects, but the grant is not itself a state contract solicitation.
- Organizations preparing applications should confirm community eligibility, identify the applicable award tier, and document the required match before submitting.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- Kansas Department of Commerce
- Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity
- U.S. Census Bureau

### Sources
- [Towns Grant Funding Available for Rural Quality-of-Place Projects - Kansas Department of Commerce](https://www.kansascommerce.gov/2026/10/towns-grant-funding-available-for-rural-quality-of-place-projects/) - KS