The
Oregon State Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development, Vicki Walker, today announced that USDA is seeking applications
for grants to support rural businesses and help create jobs.
Approximately $350,000 is expected to be made available in Oregon under the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. The
grants will be awarded competitively. Eligible applicants include public bodies, government entities, Indian
tribes, and nonprofit organizations. This year’s announcement also includes a Native
American set aside that is funded through a national competition.
Congress
established the RBDG program under the 2014 Farm Bill. The new program combines
USDA’s former Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) and Rural Business
Opportunity Grant (RBOG) programs. The new program, like its predecessors,
is designed to assist with the startup or expansion of small and emerging private
businesses and/or nonprofits in rural communities.
These
grants can be used to provide technical assistance and in some cases to establish
revolving loan funds; to support rural distance learning programs that provide
educational or job training; to acquire or develop land, buildings, plants and
equipment; and to build or improve access roads, parking areas, utility
extensions, and water and waste disposal facilities. There are no substantive
programmatic or operational changes to the RBEG and RBOG programs as a result
of this consolidation.
For
additional information, see page 15665 of the March 25 Federal
Register.
Grants
made before the implementation of the RBDG program will continue to be governed
by the terms of the applicable RBOG and RBEG regulations in effect at the time
the grants were made.
If you are planning to submit an
application in Oregon, we encourage you to contact a local
Business & Cooperative Program Specialist or the State Office for more
details about the application requirements and process:
Lisa Siesennop
Business & Cooperative Programs Director
USDA Rural Development
(503) 414-3367
Lisa.Siesennop@or.usda.gov
Complete
applications must be received by the USDA Rural Development State Office no
later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 1, 2015.
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