Join NCBA CLUSA’s Strengthening Cooperative Communities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Rural Development team on Tuesday, February 6 at 1 pm EST for an informational webinar on the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG).
RBDG is designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging rural cooperatives and nonprofits.
USDA is accepting applications for the RBDG program until February 28, 2024.
The RBDG program supports two types of projects—Opportunity Grants and Enterprise Grants. Enterprise grant projects may entail the repair or modernization of buildings, training and technical assistance, acquisition of land, and capitalizing revolving loan funds. Both grant types may be used to establish business support centers, feasibility studies and business plans, community economic development, and long-term business planning.
RBDG does not have a federal matching requirement, and smaller grant requests are given higher priority. Grants generally range from $10,000 up to $500,000, with opportunity grants capped at 10 percent of the total program funding. RBDG money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas.
For additional information on the RBDG Program, click here or see page one of this Federal Register notice.