HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-14-22 Correspondence - USDA - USDA Accepting Applications for Rural Business Development GrantsFrom:USDA Rural Development MontanaTo:AgendaSubject:USDA Accepting Applications for Rural Business Development GrantsDate:Wednesday, December 14, 2022 9:18:41 AM
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US Department of Agriculture Rural Development - Together America Prospers
USDA Seeks Applications to Support Rural Entrepreneursand Create Jobs for People in Rural America
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl
Torres Small announced recently that USDA is accepting applications to support
economic development and create jobs for people in rural America.
USDA is making this funding available under the Rural Business Development Grant
(RBDG) program to support business opportunities or business enterprise projects in rural
communities. Eligible entities are rural towns, communities, state agencies, authorities,
nonprofits, federally recognized Tribes, public institutions of higher education and non-
profit cooperatives.
Business opportunity projects are used to identify and analyze business opportunities that
will use local rural materials or human resources. These projects must be consistent with
local and area-wide community and economic development strategic plans. Projects must
also support other economic development activities in the project area. They may include
establishing business support centers or financing job training and leadership
development in rural areas. Enterprise projects include the repair or modernization of
buildings, technical assistance such as feasibility studies or business plans, or equipment
purchases for leasing to small or emerging businesses.
One Montana RBDG success story involves the Plenty Doors Community Development
Corporation on the Crow Agency in Big Horn County, Montana. They applied their RBDG
grant to fund two studies - a business incubator feasibility study and leakage study on why
business dollars were leaving their Agency.
The success of these two studies created an opportunity to apply for additional funding
from other federal and state agencies of more than $900,000. The RBDG funded study
also paved the way for Plenty Doors to apply for targeted funding with the Economic
Development Agency (EDA), which awarded them $6 million to begin construction in 2023
on a new Crow Innovation Center.
“Initially we thought, is it worth it, and do we have time for this,” said Charlene Johnson of
the Plenty Doors Community Development Corporation. “Once we had it down, we
realized that it could open more doors, and it did.”
In fiscal year 2023, USDA anticipates that part of the funding may be set aside for
federally recognized Native American Tribes, Rural Empowerment Zones/Enterprise
Communities/Rural Economic Area Partnerships, projects located in persistent poverty
areas (including those of Native Americans), and Strategic Economic and Community
Development (SECD) projects. Eligible applicants for the persistent poverty and SECD
set-aside funds must demonstrate that 100% of the benefits of an approved grant will
assist beneficiaries in the designated areas.
Applications for grants, including all set-aside funds, must be submitted in paper or
electronic format to the USDA Rural Development Montana State Office by 4:30 p.m. local
time on Feb. 28, 2023. For additional information, visit Grants.gov or see page 71571 of
the Nov. 23, 2022, Federal Register.
For more information on how to apply for the Rural Business Development Grant
Program, contact Lad Barney, Business and Cooperative Programs Director for USDA
Rural Development in Montana at 406-309-3350 or lad.barney@usda.gov.
FREE WEBINAR - USDA Rural Development in Montana and Mission West Community
Development Partners are hosting a free webinar Dec. 20, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain
Time (MT) on how to apply for a Rural Business Development Grant. To join go to
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82161087809?
pwd=Q0dkNDFpV1NMczVxUktIbWc5c04wQT09.
USDA Rural Development encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance
key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help rural America build back better
and stronger. Key priorities include creating new and better markets, addressing the
impacts of climate change and advancing equity in rural America. For more information,
visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points.
To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit GovDelivery subscriber page.
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