The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is pleased to announce the Supporting Industrial Transformation and Economic Success (SITES) Program has been launched and as part of addressing statewide infrastructure needs for new and existing businesses, communities can now apply to receive a portion of the unallocated $29.95 million from Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity (PREP) Fund.

Communities are encouraged to identify and submit applications for projects that address the development of infrastructure for new or existing industrial sites. Priority will be given to “last mile” projects that are the final piece needed to enhance the community’s ability to nationally market the site, meaning that water, sewer, electric, natural gas and fiber are available and functional to standard capacity. Additional prioritization will be given to projects that have matching funds from federal, tribal or local investment.

Communities in counties that received first round allocations of ARPA or PREP funds will not qualify for this round of funding, however communities are heavily encouraged to submit applications outlining potential projects in the event more funding becomes available. The application is available on grants.ok.gov and will be open until 11:59PM on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with projects beginning in late July. Applicants must pre-register through the portal before applying. Registration takes approximately five minutes, but account approval may take up to two days after registration. Those that have registered before do not need to register again. Applications should include a scope of work, project budget, project map, economic assessment and a spreadsheet outlining current and projected capacity when the project is complete. For more information on the SITES program, visit www.okcommerce.gov/sitesok. For questions, email sitesok@okcommerce.gov.

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