All USA USA Territories: Puerto Rico (USA); Virgin Islands (USA); USA Compact Free Associations:The Federated States of Micronesia (USA) Marshall Islands (USA)
Grants to USA and territories agencies, nonprofit organizations, IHEs, tribes, and cooperatives to promote economic development in non-urban areas. Applicants are advised that required registrations may take several weeks to finalize. Funding is intended for programs that provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.
Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:
Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
Pollution control and abatement.
The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
Additional Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants are rural public entities including, but not limited to:
- Towns
- Communities
- State agencies
- Authorities
- Nonprofit Corporations
- Institutions of Higher Education
- Federally recognized Tribes
- Rural Cooperatives (if organized as a private nonprofit corporation)
Rural Business Development Grant 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.
Pre-Application Information
Program Application Period:
- Open Date: November 23, 2022. Applications are accepted year-round.
- Close Date: February 28, 2023, 4:30 p.m. local time. Applications must be received by February 28, 2023, 4:30 p.m. local time.
To complete an application for this program, you must be pre-registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). Neither of these applications cost money, but they can take time so be sure to get this taken care of right away. If you are already registered with these systems, you do not need to do it again.
Cost Sharing or Matching. There are no cost sharing or matching requirements associated with this grant.
Prior to official submission of grant applications, applicants may request technical assistance or other application guidance from the Agency, as long as such requests are made prior to February 10, 2023. Technical assistance is not meant to be an analysis or assessment of the quality of the materials submitted, a substitute for agency review of completed applications, nor a determination of eligibility.
Additional Funding Information
Estimated Total Program Funding:
$46,000,000
Estimated Size of Grant
There is no maximum grant amount for enterprise or opportunity type grants; however, smaller requests are given higher priority.
Term of Contract
Performance Period: June 1, 2023, through September 30, 2025.
