Rural Development State Directors use needs criteria to establish a list of targeted communities for which applicants may request loan funds. A list of these communities is published yearly in the Federal Register in the form of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). The applications are then rated competitively in order to select recipients.

The National Office publishes the NOFA as soon after the start of the Fiscal Year as possible after a budget or a continuing resolution is signed into law by the President.

The NOFA will list the information that applicants must submit in their project proposal including the criteria the Agency will use to evaluate and rank project proposals; the deadline for submitting project proposals; and the State Office addresses where the project proposals may be sent.

A list of designated places for the state may be obtained from the Agencies and Offices state map.