堪萨斯州第二轮小镇补助开放50万美元：5000人以下社区单项最高2.5万美元，12月23日截止申请
堪萨斯州副州长兼商务厅长 David Toland 宣布，该州启动第二轮「小镇补助」（Towns Grant）资金，共50万美元，用于改善乡村社区的生活质量。该计划由堪萨斯州乡村繁荣办公室管理，单个社区可申请1,000至25,000美元，跨多个邮政编码的联合项目最高可申请50,000美元，资金用于加强地方能力、鼓励青年与社区参与、促进志愿服务和本地投资的小型项目。
申请资格面向居民5,000人或以下的社区，以及符合条件的困境城市人口普查区。申请方须提供10%的配套资金；居民不足1,000人的社区可以用实物投入抵作配套。此前获得过商务厅资助的社区也可以申请，但自2019年以来未获资助的社区将被优先考虑。
本轮申请已于10月23日开放，截止时间为12月23日下午5时，预计2027年1月公布结果。商务厅将于10月30日上午10时举行线上说明会，申请指南与登记入口在堪萨斯州商务厅官网的小镇补助页面（kansascommerce.gov/towns）。
州商务厅表示，小镇补助面向的是规模小、见效快的社区项目，意在让乡村小镇用有限资金撬动本地参与和投资；具体的项目类型、评审方式与往年获助名单，均以官网公布的指南为准。
Kansas Opens Second Round of Towns Grants: $500,000 for Communities of 5,000 or Fewer
Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland announced a second round of Towns Grant funding, making $500,000 available for quality-of-life improvements in rural communities. Administered by the Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity, the program offers grants of $1,000 to $25,000 for individual communities and up to $50,000 for projects spanning multiple ZIP codes, supporting small-scale projects that strengthen local capacity, encourage youth and community engagement, and promote volunteerism and local investment.
Eligible applicants include communities with 5,000 or fewer residents and qualifying distressed urban census tracts. Applicants must provide a 10% match, with in-kind contributions permitted for communities under 1,000 residents. Communities previously funded by the Department of Commerce may apply, although preference will go to those without funding since 2019.
Applications opened October 23 and close December 23 at 5 p.m., with awards expected in January 2027. An informational webinar is scheduled for October 30 at 10 a.m. Guidelines and registration are available at kansascommerce.gov/towns.
The Department of Commerce said the Towns Grant is aimed at small, fast-moving community projects that let rural towns use limited funding to encourage local participation and investment, with project types, review procedures and past recipient lists set out in the guidelines on its website.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：堪萨斯州小镇塞内卡邮局壁画（资料图）。Joe Jones 作，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The post office mural in the small Kansas town of Seneca (file photo). By Joe Jones, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
